On The Hunt
by wewerkak
Summary: [COMPLETE] The team is trying to catch a killer targeting some of the SEALs. As they find out - McGarrett is one of them and he goes missing. Will they be able to save Steve and will the team catch the killer before there is another victim found? [Steve whump, a lot of McDanno bromance - no slash]
1. Gone

**_Author's _****_Notes:_**

_\- This is the first part of multi-chapter story. _

_\- This story is the first one I wrote, nowhere near perfect, but I hope you will enjoy reading. Next chapters will be longer, this is just an introduction._

_\- Feedback is more than welcome._

_\- I do not own Hawaii Five-0, not do I make any money from writing of this story._

_\- English is not my language so I apologize for any grammar mistakes :)_

* * *

He still couldn't believe it. He was gone. Gone forever and there was nothing he could do about it. The grief was unbearable, it kept him from sleeping at nights. Danny's tired eyes reflected his pain, the anger growing inside him, the sadness and confusion. Is this a nightmare? If so, it's about time to wake up now and end this suffering. He can't be gone for real. Danny was just standing there, using the computer table as a support. He lifted his head and looked at the door, hoping that he will walk through that door with his big, annoying smile. But he didn't.

Lost in the thoughts he felt a gentle touch on his right shoulder. It was Kono. "Its time, Danny," she said. The black dress she was wearing reminded him, it is real. It's not a nightmare as he hoped for. Her eyes were glossy and a bit red. She was obviously crying recently. Even her fake hint of smile couldn't hide it.

Danny didn't move, he didn't even blink. He was staring to the HQ computer screen full of photos from the latest crime scene. Photo of the man behind all this was shining in the top right corner. Anger flooded him as he looked at him. He swore to find him and make him pay for what he has done. His hands formed into the fists, he wanted to smash something. Anything. He sighed heavily, closed his eyes and immediately saw the scene from 2 days ago like he was still there. He saw it every time his eyes were closed. Living it over and over again.

* * *

It all came back. Grover kicking out the door. Adrenaline rushing trough his body as Danny was the first one to enter, ready to shoot anyone crossing his path. But this guy knew they were coming, he heard them rushing inside the building. Danny remembered how his eyes met with the eyes of his friend, the relief he was still alive was short-lived, replaced by the anger and fear. His friend was hurt, his hands were tied up behind his back, kneeling on the dirty floor of the abandoned warehouse, with a gun at his head. The blood puddle under him was suggesting they need to hurry up, he needs to get to the hospital as soon as possible. Their eyes met, Danny could see the pain in his eyes. "Danny…" he said. It was the only word he could remember from that evening. He heard his voice echoing in his head ever since. It sounded scared, no matter how much he was trying to hide it. Everything else was blurry and distant, it felt so unreal. The distraction, which didn't go as planned, the fight which took only few seconds. And then he heard the shot.

* * *

"Danny?" said Kono softly, bringing him out of his thoughts, "let's go."

Danny didn't turn his face away from the screen. He was quiet for another minute. When he spoke, his voice was a choked whisper. "I should have done something, it's my fault," he said, still looking at the screen.

Kono touched his shoulder again, "No, don't blame yourself, Danny. You've done everything you could," she said, "we will find that bastard."

Danny closed his eyes again. "I… I, can't," he responded. He could notice how shaky his voice was. "I don't think I can do this. I want to get him, I can't afford to loose any time. You go, I'll go over the camera recordings again. See if we missed something."

Kono looked at Danny. She didn't know what to say, nothing would make it better right now. Last time she saw him this upset was when he found out that his brother Matt was dead. She decided to try a different approach.

"Danny, we need you there. Grace needs you there."

He lifted his head when he heard his daughter's name.

"Come on, we'll go over all this again later. We will find him. I promise," said Kono.

Danny took a deep breath, he knew she was right. His ohana needs him as much as he needs them. He nodded slightly and straightened his black tie, "let's go."

* * *

He froze when he saw it. Yes, he expected it, but it still surprised him. Caught him off-guard. A beautiful white rose was lying on his black Camaro's hood. "That son of - !" He drew the gun and looked around, desperately trying to catch the glimpse of him. That bastard must be still close, finishing up his job. Danny knew this guy is mocking him. The white rose was his signature.


	2. Buried Alive

"McGarret," Steve answered the phone. "Yeah, we're on our way." He turned on the police sirens and made a sharp U-turn.

"Let me guess, we've got a case," Danny said. "I was hoping to get some food."

Steve nodded. "Sorry, seems like lunch has to wait."

"Oh, that's convenient, isn't it?" Danny grinned.

Steve furrowed his brow and looked at his partner for a second. "Why? What's your point?"

"You were supposed to pay for it, remember? So I'm just saying it's convenient, it makes you happy," Danny answered.

Steve looked confused. He didn't want to fight about anything once again. "What? Why would you think that? Are you saying that I'd rather be at the crime scene than paying for your lunch?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," said Danny.

Steve looked at him again. "Are you that hungry? Look, if you want, I can stop, you go get some lunch and get a taxi to the crime scene."

Danny smiled. "No. No, that's not the point."

"Then what's the matter? We can go some other time, okay?" Steve was happier when Danny was sitting quietly.

"Why would you take the car and I get to go by taxi? How about I get to drive my car and decide if I stop or not and you take a taxi?" Danny didn't stop.

Steve gave him a longer, angry look this time. He started to be annoyed by his comments.

"Don't look at me like that, you know it's my car and I'd like to drive it sometimes," said Danny.

"Danny, how many times you want to talk about this? You know I get carsick if I don't drive," said Steve, raising his voice.

"No, that's what you say. You are a navy SEAL, you can't be carsick. You're just a control freak and you don't want to admit it," Danny continued to complain.

"Okay, that's enough. Shut up and focus. We're here." Steve wrapped up the conversation as he pulled over to the driveway of the house, where several police vehicles have been parked.

* * *

"Hey," Chin greeted them.

"So what we've got here?" asked Danny.

Chin turned around, asking them to follow him to the back of the house, to the backyard. There was a big, deep hole dug up in the ground. Steve noticed there is something inside. He came closer and realized the hole was an actual grave. With an opened wooden coffin and a dead body inside. The victim's hands were tied up in front of him, his ankles tied up together. Two guys were photographing the victim and the backyard.

"Our victim is Rear Admiral David Moore," Steve frowned when he heard the victim was a naval officer, "he has been found by his wife, Annie. She let their dog out to the backyard and when she came out in about two hours, she saw the dog digging here. The hole was already big enough to see something is in there. She called HPD as soon as she realized that it's a coffin." Chin briefed the team.

"Is she inside?" asked Steve.

"Kono is talking to her right now," he answered. "There is something else. It's confirmed that he was a retired Navy SEAL officer.

Oh no. Danny knew Steve's not gonna like it. He looked at him, Steve's grumpy face just confirmed it.

The team came closer to Max, who was standing above the victim, to ask what he knows so far.

"I can estimate time of death between 9-11 pm last night," said Max, not lifting his sight from the body.

Max pointed at his face and moved down to his chest. "He was beaten up pretty badly, it looks like he was hit to the head by a blunt object multiple times, but it didn't kill him. Also, his ribs are probably cracked or broken. I will confirm it after the autopsy."

"Also, I found needle traces on his neck. I'll have to wait for toxicology results, but it looks like he has been drugged," he continued.

He lifted the man's hand and looked closer. Looking for other clues.

"So," Danny interrupted the quiet, "he has been drugged, possibly tortured, killed and buried in his own garden."

"Technically, no." Max noticed Danny's confused look, he turned around showing the team the victim's nails. "Judging by the damage of his nails and wood under them, bruised knuckles and the coffin scratched from inside, I'd say he was killed by burying in his own garden."

Steve closed his eyes and sighed. "He tried to get out," Max confirmed it with a nod.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying, that he was alive when he has been buried?" Danny was shocked and he could see Steve and Chin were just as surprised as him.

"Yes, detective," said Max. It's a pretty cruel form of execution and torture, considering the air last sufficiently long for the victim to comprehend and imagine every stage of what is happening - being trapped in the complete dark with no movement, and to experience psychological and physical torment including extreme panic."

"So, our victim ran out of the air and died, is that right?" asked Chin.

"Yes. But, there is one upside. As the carbon dioxide built up in the body it made a victim sleepy and eventually to fall into a coma before his heart stopped and the rest of his body followed," explained Max.

Danny furrowed his brows. "How is falling into a coma a good thing, Max?"

"Well, you might feel the suffocation, and it would be terrifying," Max said, "but at the very least, you wouldn't be conscious during those last moments.

"Oh, that makes me feel much better about it, thanks," said Danny sarcastically.

Kono came out of the house to share the information she got from the victim's wife with the rest of the team. "So, she wasn't here last night, she spent the night at their son's place. Apparently they didn't get along very well. Their son hasn't spoken to his father for years."

"Do we know why?" asked Steve.

"He wanted him to enlist, to be proud of his son. But Jason had different plans and his dad got mad, they had a huge fight and Jason left. He never came back, although he stayed in touch with his mother," said Kono.

"There is one weird thing which his wife noticed," she continued, "this morning there was a rose in the vase on the kitchen table. She says, her husband never gave her flowers, not anymore."

"Maybe he wanted to change that," said Danny.

"Maybe."


	3. The Whiteboard

Steve and Danny met the rest of the team at the headquarters. Jerry, Grover, Kono, and Chin were already there.

"Hey Lou, where have you been earlier?" asked Steve.

He seemed irritated. "I had to take care of something." He turned to Danny. "Never let your daughter grow up, it's too much trouble."

They laughed, but Grover didn't. "I'm serious."

"Let's focus, guys." Kono swiped the photos from the crime scene to the screen. So far they knew who the victim was and how he died.

"Max called, he finished the autopsy and he was right. The victim had 3 broken ribs, some fractured bones and he is sure that Moore was tortured before he ended up in that coffin," Chin briefed the team. "He is still waiting for the toxicology results."

"There is something he found in the coffin," said Kono as she swiped the photo to the screen. A white rose. "His wife found the same one in the house that morning.

"That's creepy," said Jerry.

Steve's cell phone rang.

"You've got something, Max?" Steve answered the phone.

"Are you sure? Uh-uh, I get it, thanks," said Steve after a moment. Then he put the phone back to his pocket and headed back to the rest of the team.

"It was Max. The toxicology is done. He found big doses of ketamine and benzodiazepine in the victim's body. It slows your body and brain down so I think our killer wanted to know something from the victim and he wanted him to cooperate," said Steve.

Danny noticed that Steve looks disturbed. "What's wrong?" he asked.

Steve stood quietly for a few seconds, thinking about what Max just told him. "Moore is not the first victim," he said after a while.

"What do you mean he isn't?" asked Grover.

"Max found out there were 2 other victims on the Mainland with the same modus operandi in the past 3 months," said Steve.

"Do we know the names?" asked Jerry.

"Uh.. yeah we do," said Steve. "Commander Chad Robinson and Captain Victor Malone."

"Navy officers?" said Kono with a surprise in her voice.

There was something in Steve's look that said to Danny there is more about it. "Did you know them?" he asked.

"I served with Robinson, he was a good guy," Steve whispered.

"Uhm, I'm sorry about that," said Danny and short silence followed.

Chin interrupted the silence. "So they were buried alive too?"

"They were," answered Steve.

"Kono, call their families and find out what they know," he said.

"On it, boss," said Kono and left to her office.

"So our killer is targeting naval officers?" asked Danny.

Photos of the other two victims were now on the screen. Steve looked at the photo of the man he used to work with and frowned.

"Navy SEALs," he said and the heavy silence fell upon the room.

* * *

Danny noticed Steve's too quiet since they left the headquarters. He watched him from the passenger seat as Steve was driving. He seemed to be lost in deep thoughts.

"Are you all right?" he asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Yeah, why?" answered Steve.

"Why? Maybe because, you know… you just found out your friend died? Just guessing," said Danny, unsure why his friend asks such a dumb question. It was obvious

.

"He wasn't my friend. We served together, I haven't seen him or talked to him since I came home," said Steve.

"Does it make it any easier?" Danny didn't know whether Steve was trying to convince himself or his partner.

"He was a good man, Danny. He had a wife and two kids, okay? Of course, I'm not happy about it," answered Steve.

"But there are dads and husbands killed quite often and you deal with it as a part of your job. But it looks like you take it personally this time, yet you say he was not a friend, so why don't you tell me what's going on?" asked Danny, feeling he might have hit the sensitive string.

"Fine, if that makes you shut up. We didn't get along very well, we had some differences. But we had to get over it, it's not a high school. The rest is classified, Danny," said Steve, thinking he closed the topic.

Danny looked at him. "Classified? Really? I'm not asking about the black helicopters or the operation details."

Steve sighed. "I got into some troubles and he saved my ass. I won't tell you anything else."

"That's enough, thank you. Was it that hard?" asked Danny.

"I told you because I was hoping it will shut you up," said Steve, raising his voice.

Both of them were quiet for a while before Danny spoke again. "I'm sorry about your not friend," he said.

"Thanks." Steve knew he meant it.

* * *

Steve's phone rang. It was Kono.

"Boss, I've spoked to the families of the victims. Malone's daughter said that evening before her father's funeral someone knocked on the door. When she opened, no one was there but guess what she found," she said.

"Let me guess, a white rose," said Steve and they exchanged the looks with Danny.

"How about Robinson?" asked Steve.

"His wife said that their kids were playing in front of the house, then they came inside with the rose.

They said that a nice stranger gave it to them," she answered.

Steve took a deep breath.

"What a sick bastard," said Danny, shaking his head.

"It must be his signature. It looks like we've got a serial killer on vacation here," said Steve to his partner.

"I just got informed that HPD has an eye witness for our case. The neighbor saw a van in front of Moore's house last night. A masked man was obviously unloading something from it, she couldn't see what exactly, the van was blocking her view. She says that van left around 10.30 pm," said Kono.

"That might be the coffin, or our victim, or both," said Danny.

"She remembers the plate," she continued. "I ran it through the system. It's registered to Jeremy Olson. He's got a criminal record for blackmailing and several armed robberies. I'm sending you the address."

Danny read the text with the address and Steve speeded up. "Let's talk to him," he said.

* * *

Danny knocked on the door. "Jeremy Olson? It's Five-0, open the door."

They could only hear the silence behind the door.

Danny tried to knock again. "Mr. Olson? We need to talk." He heard something. He made a few steps back to look around.

Then he heard Steve shout from behind him. "Danny, get down!"

He crouched and drew his gun as soon as he realized that someone's shooting at them. It came from behind the window. While Steve was shooting back at the guy, Danny kicked the door out, ready to shoot.

"Moving in," he shouted as he moved into the house. He saw the man running to the back of the house. He tried to shoot but the man disappeared behind the corner.

"Steve!" he shouted, "he is in the back!"

"I've got him," said Steve while running outside, to the backyard of the small house. He saw the man running out of, looking over his shoulder and firing several times to make sure Danny is not behind him. Steve speeded up and just at the back of the yard he jumped at the man and pushed his face to the ground, while Danny took his gun.

Steve tied his arms behind his back, stood up as he pulled Olson up with him.

Steve was trying to catch the breath. "Book him, Danno," he said and smiled at his partner.

The rest of the team arrived just two minutes later. Danny took Olson to the car and came back into the house.

The team was searching the house, hoping they find something to help them solve the case. Danny noticed the basement door is half opened and there was a light coming from there. He straightened his arms, holding the gun as he carefully opened the door. He slowly moved downstairs, ready in case someone is there. But it was clear. He lowered the gun and put it back to the case. The unpleasant smell of moisture and mold hit his nose. The basement was almost empty. Except for a small desk full of folders and papers with a chair next to it and a standing lamp in the corner. But it was not the desk that caught Danny's attention. It was the big whiteboard above the desk with several maps, old articles, and photos with the names on it. He immediately recognized the photo of their victim, David Moore. The whiteboard was full of photos and post-it notes. But one of them, in particular, made Danny's heart to skip a beat. It was the photo of his partner, with a yellow post-it note over the photo and the name Steven Mcgarrett written on it.


	4. Six Down, Three To Go

"Danny?" called Steve when he realized he can't see his partner.

"Down here," shouted Danny. It came from the basement.

Steve followed him downstairs and saw Danny standing in front of the old desk and a whiteboard. He briefly looked around, then he looked at Danny. His sight was fixed to the whiteboard and he looked like he saw a ghost. Steve looked up to see what scared his partner. The big whiteboard covered by photos. Photos of navy officers, the killer's targets, he guessed. Including their victim, David Moore and the other two victims from the mainland, Robinson, and Malone. Their names were crossed out, including two others, which he didn't know. Then he realized what caught his partner's attention. There was a photo of himself on the board. Steve froze for a second before Danny spoke.

"You see it?" he asked with surprise in his voice.

"Yeah, it seems like we have a list of targets," said Steve.

"Did you do something to piss this guy off?" asked Danny.

"I never heard about him until today," answered Steve, still looking at the board. Only five names

were crossed out, but there were another four men's photos in there, including Steve's.

"I know him," Steve pointed up to one of them, "Michael Rogers, we've done part of the SEAL training together."

Danny looks at the photo Steve pointed at. "So, another not friend?"

Steve looked at him immediately, gave him the _Are you serious?_ look.

"No, we worked well as a team during the training, but we didn't stay in touch afterward. Our ways parted and we never had a chance to talk again," explained Steve.

Danny nodded slightly. "I think now is a good time."

* * *

Danny sat quietly on the passenger seat, thinking. "I don't like this," he said after a while.

"What do you mean?" asked Steve.

"Are you not at all concerned about the fact that you were obviously one of four men in the queue on this guy's list?" he asked.

Steve smiled.

"Oh, so it's funny," said Danny and he shook his head. "You're just unbelievable."

Steve looked at Danny for a second. "It's cute when you're worried about me," he said.

"Cute? All right you know what? Just stop talking. Forget I said anything," said Danny, angry about Steve making fun of it.

"Danny, it doesn't matter," said Steve, "we got him, buddy."

A short silence was the answer, Danny looked outside of the window and kept thinking. He looked at his partner. "Do you think Olson is a type of a guy who can take down a SEAL? Multiple times, actually."

"I don't know, maybe he had help," said Steve.

"And it was pretty easy to arrest him," he admitted.

Steve knew Danny was right, something seemed off, it was too easy and Olsen didn't look like a type of a guy to pull this off. He didn't want Danny to be worried though.

"What about those other men?" Danny interrupted the silence.

"Kono and Chin will do some calls to make sure Willson and Turner have been informed. If they are still active, Navy won't tell us anything about their whereabouts," answered Steve.

" Are you going to inform your friend?" asked Danny.

"Jerry said Michael Rogers arrived in Hawaii about a week ago, he's got some family here," said Steve. "I' ll call him. I haven't seen him for years, a couple of beers won't hurt."

* * *

"McGarrett! It's been a long time," said Rogers as Steve opened the door. He invited him for a couple of beers.

"Mickey, good to see you again, pal," he said. "Come on in."

Steve closed the door behind him. "So are you enjoying the beaches in Hawaii?"

Mickey laughed. "Yeah, beaches, sun, women… You know. But I came to see my aunt, she is not feeling great lately and she's got no one else to take care of her."

"That's nice of you," said Steve.

They moved to the beach behind the house, sat in the wooden chairs and listened to the waves crashing on the sand. They chatted about the old times, sipped their beers and laughed. They talked for almost an hour now, so Steve figured he should tell him what's going on.

"Mickey, there is something I need to ask. Does the name Jeremy Olson ring a bell?" he asked.

Mickey shook his head. "No, why?"

"We're investigating a case right now, and it's kind of related to you as well," Steve continued. He explained Mickey everything he knew and watched his reaction. As Steve expected, Mickey looked shocked.

"That's a lot to process," he said.

"I know, pal. We've got a suspect in custody but I had to inform you," explained Steve.

"So that bastard is taking out our guys, huh?" asked Mickey.

"We're not sure it's him yet, so just be careful," said Steve as he passed Mickey another beer.

"Sure, I will be. You too, pal," he said and shook his head when Steve gave him the beer. "I think I've got enough for today, I need to go and check on my aunt, thanks." He refused politely and stood up.

"But can you keep me updated, please?" he asked.

Steve nodded. "I will. It was good to see you again."

* * *

Steve's phone rang. _What time is it?_ He looked at the clock. 3 am. Really? Can't he get some sleep? He answered the phone, still half asleep. A few seconds later he was fully awake. As soon as he heard that they found Turner's body on Oahu and the estimated time of death was hours after they arrested Olson. They got the wrong guy. He's still out there and might be going after Steve, Mickey or Wilson. _What the hell are all of them doing in Hawaii?_

* * *

Steve paced nervously around the smart table in the headquarters, when Danny entered. It was too early to be there at this time but if Steve called, he must have a reason.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"This," said Steve as he swiped the photo of the body in the opened grave to the screen.

"Is that…?" he got Danny's attention.

Steve nodded. "Commander Thomas Turner found here on Oahu a couple of hours ago."

Danny gave Steve a concerned look. "But that means…," he didn't finish.

"I know," said Steve. "He's still out there."


	5. The Next Target

Steve briefed the rest of the team as soon as they arrived. None of them liked the fact that their killer is still out there, possibly planning how to take out their friend.

"Olsen didn't say much," said Grover after he returned from the prison.

"He keeps saying he didn't do it and that he got paid for renting out that basement and a van." He doesn't want to describe the guy, nor say his name," he said.

"I've checked his financials, he received a pretty big payment two weeks ago. It was $10 000, I think it's way too much for the basement rental," said Jerry.

Steve crossed his arms. "Our killer probably wanted to buy his silence too," he said.

"We need to warn Wilson, he might be the next target," said Chin.

"I tried to speak with the admiral chief, they won't tell us anything about him, they aren't allowed to. The only thing he told me was that he will inform him," said Steve.

Kono swiped the photo of the whiteboard from Olsen's house to the screen. She looked at it and after a while, she started to type something on the smart table.

"What is it, cuz?" asked Chin. "You see something?"

"Here," she said as she found what she was looking for. "Malone was the first victim, he died 3 months ago. Then Robinson 6 weeks ago. Both of them on the Mainland. Then we found Moore on Oahu and last night they found Turner."

"What about the other two, their names were crossed out so I guess he got them too," said Danny.

Kono typed something, then she lifted her head from the table. "Both reported missing," she said.

"Look at this, one of them - Captain Alan Dean - was reported missing before they found Malone. The second one - retired Rear Admiral Neil Reynolds - reported missing 3 weeks ago," she continued.

The silence filled the room as they all were looking at the screen with a whiteboard. They understood what Kono was trying to say.

"Dean, Malone, Robinson, Reynolds, Moore, Turner, Rodgers, Wilson, McGarrett… The list on the board is in the order," said Steve.

"So we know who's the next target," added Danny.

"Mickey," said Steve and he took his cell phone out immediately, calling Mickey. It was ringing, no answer. _Come on! Answer the phone!_ Steve tried again.

"Hello?" he heard on the other side and he sighed in relief.

"Mickey, it's Steve. Are you all right man? Listen to me, I need you to come to Five-0 headquarters, now! I'll explain later," he said with urgency in his voice.

"Okay, I'm on my way," said Mickey.

* * *

"I can't believe it," said Mickey as he paced in front of the big screen in the headquarters.

"What's this guy's problem? Is there any connection between us and others?" he asked and looked at Steve.

"I knew two of these men and you. I've never met others," said Steve, his arms crossed.

Mickey looked at the screen. "But I never saw any of them except you, pal," he said. "I don't think it has something to do with any operation, as we didn't know those guys, am I right?"

"It's not like Navy wants to share this stuff, you know that. It has to be connected somehow, I don't think this guy chooses randomly. All the targets had a naval rank of O-5 and higher and as far as we know, Robinson, Moore, you and me were SEALs. We won't be able to be sure about it, as we don't have access to this information, but I think others had to be SEALs too. If not, at least they were naval officers," said Steve.

Danny made a few steps with his arms crossed and a concerned look on his face, then he turned back to Mickey and Steve. "Steve is basically telling you we have nothing. No suspect, no motive, no connection between you guys, nothing. Nothing but a crazy and obviously very skilled killer, who is out there, planning to take down the three of you and we think you're the next one," he said.

Steve rolled his eyes at Danny.

Chin turned to Mickey. "Don't mind him, he isn't very optimistic." He smiled at Danny.

"That's not true," protested Danny, "I just don't like the fact that someone's trying to kill my partner and we have nothing."

"Oh but never mind, at least I'll get to drive my own car once he is done," he said sarcastically.

"You love when I drive. Plus you'd miss me," said Steve as he grinned.

Danny smiled. "At least nobody would shoot at me, right? I wouldn't miss anything about that."

"That's a lie," said Steve.

"No, I'm serious, I hate it. I hate you for that," said Danny.

"You see? That's a lie too. I know you love me, Danno," answered Steve.

"All right. Shut up Steven," Danny wrapped up the conversation.

Mickey's face looked confused. He turned to the rest of the team. "Are these two a couple?" he asked and they laughed.

"You'll get used to it," giggled Kono.

"For now I want you to stay with us, so we can keep an eye for you," Steve said to Mickey.

"You know I can take care of myself, right?" he answered with a question.

"That's exactly what we need, another over-confident SEAL," stated Danny as he rolled his eyes.

Steve ignored his partner's comment. "I know, but don't forget others were well trained too and he still got them."

Mickey sighed, then he nodded. "SEALs work like a team, right? We have a better chance together."

"Are you guys done?" asked Jerry.

"We have something. I got the results from the lab and found out only 2 stores on Oahu selling the coffins as we found. It might be nothing but at least it's a lead," he continued.

"Let's see if they can give us customers list," said Steve. "Mickey, you're going with us."

* * *

The store owner printed the list of customers for the past two months and handed it over to Steve.

"Thank you, sir," said Steve and he quickly scanned through the names to see if he finds any familiar names. He didn't.

Steve and Danny returned to the car where Mickey was waiting for them.

"Do you want me to have a look?" he asked and Steve gave him the paper.

"No, nothing, sorry," he said after a while.

"It's okay, we'll send it to Jerry, he will have a look and maybe he can find out something about them," said Steve.

"Chin and Grover are talking to Olson again, maybe he will say something," he added.

"Steve I'd like to hang out with you two but I just got a text from my aunt, she doesn't feel well, I need to go there," said Mickey.

Steve nodded. "We'll give you a ride, what's the address?"

"285 Waipua Place," he answered. "Thank you, guys."

"That's not far from my place, call me if you see anything suspicious, all right? I can be there in under 15 minutes," said Steve with concern in his voice. He wanted to keep an eye on Mickey and didn't like the idea of him not being nearby.

"Thanks, I appreciate that, pal," said Mickey.

Steve and Danny dropped Mickey at the address he gave them and assured him he can call anytime.

Steve's phone rang, it was Chin. He answered. "Did he tell you something?"

"He didn't and I'm afraid he won't say anything anymore, he's been killed in Halawa two hours ago," said Chin.

Danny and Steve exchanged surprised looks.

"Someone wanted to make sure he won't say anything," noted Danny.

* * *

Steve pulled over to the side of the road in front of his house. Danny got out of the car and he headed to the driver's side when Steve got out. Then he leaned on the driver's door and looked at Steve.

"You know I will gladly stay here for the night, right? Gracie and Charlie are with Rachel and I could get better sleep knowing everything is okay," he said.

"Thanks, buddy, I appreciate it but I don't need a babysitter. I'll be all right. Besides, it's Mickey who I'm worried about right now, his name was next, right?" said Steve.

"Right, but what if we're wrong about it?" answered Danny with a question.

"Get some sleep, Danno. Tomorrow we'll try to find out what happened to Olsen in Halawa," said Steve.

"All right, see you in the morning," said Danny with a worried look on his face. How could he sleep calmly when he knows the killer is close? Something in his gut was telling him it's not right to leave. But Steve's stubborn, there was no point trying to change his mind, he wouldn't win anyway. He sat behind the wheel and left.


	6. Missing

Steve startled awake on his phone ringing in the middle of the night. He quickly reached for it and checked who is calling. Damn, it was Mickey.

"Mickey, is everything all right?" he asked, his voice sounded concerned.

He didn't like the quiet on the other side of the phone.

"Mickey! Are you there?" he asked again.

Still no answer. Steve didn't wait for another second, he ended the call, jumped out of the bed, took his gun, grabbed his cargo pants and a t-shirt and put them on his way down the stairs. He knew something is wrong and he needs to hurry up. There was no time to call Danny and wait for him, it would take too long for him to get to Mickey's place. He'll call him when he gets there.

He drove as fast as he could and tried to call Mickey on his way. _Come on, pick it up! _He thought. It went straight to voice mail this time.

Steve pulled over to the driveway and quickly got out of the car with a gun ready in front of him. He slowed down in front of the front door, it was opened. He slowly opened the door and looked inside, checking the room is clear. He moved in, checked the left side first, then the right side, ready to shoot.

"Mickey," he called. No answer.

He entered the living room, no one was there. But it was obvious that something happened here, probably a fight. There were broken glass and magazines on the floor, the television screen was cracked, armchair moved in a weird position and a coffee table was upside down.

"Mickey! Are you here?" he called again but no one answered. The feeling in his gut told him he came too late.

After he checked the rest of the ground floor, he moved upstairs carefully. At the end of the stairway he saw an object on the floor. It was a cell phone, probably Mickey's. He bent over to pick it up and check it out when he felt a strong blunt pain in the crown on his head and almost immediately he rolled down the stairs. He fell to the ground facing down and dropped his gun. It fell out of his reach. His head was spinning and he couldn't focus the eyes. He tried to move, reach for his gun but his body didn't react. He lifted his sight a little and saw something coming towards him, it was blurry, he tried to focus his sight. Was that a man? Yeah, definitely a man, he picked up Steve's gun and moved toward him. Steve fought to keep his eyes opened but it was hard, he blinked several times. Someone was now standing above him. Every instinct in his body screamed at him to stand up, but he couldn't. Then he felt a sharp pinch on his neck. A needle? His arms were tingling and he could feel warm blood running down from the back of his head to his neck. The thought of regret crossed his mind. He didn't call Danny. Damn, why didn't he call Danny? At least he would know where he is. He tried to lift the head one more time before everything slowly faded into the blackness.

* * *

When Danny arrived at headquarters, Chin and Kono were already there.

"Hey, where is the rest of the team?" he asked.

"Jerry's car won't start so Grover's giving him a ride, they should be here any minute," said Chin.

"How about the boss?" asked Kono. " I thought he'll come with you."

"He texted me earlier, said he's got to arrange something before he shows up. I tried to call him but he didn't answer," said Danny.

"So what do we know?" he asked.

"Well, the only person who knew something is dead. He was stabbed and died on the way to the hospital," answered Chin.

"The guard says there was a fight and when they managed to stop it, Olsen was already lying on the floor with a stab wound in his abdomen," he continued.

"Do we know who did it?" asked Danny.

"Yeah," Kono said as she swiped a photo on the screen. "His name is Dylan Andrews, he is in Halawa for assault and murder. I guess we can add another one on his account."

"Ok let's talk to him, Chin do you wanna go with me?" asked Danny. There was no point waiting for Steve, they can't afford to lose time.

Chin nodded.

"I'll stay here and see if I can dig up something else," said Kono and typed something on the smart table.

Danny picked up his phone, no word from Steve yet. What if something happened? He dialed his number and hoped he'll answer it. It rang for a while and then it went to the voice mail. He frowned.

"Hey, Steve, where the hell are you? Call me as soon as you can, okay?" he left the message and sighed.

"Still no word from Steve?" asked Chin.

"No, he texted me in the morning, but I don't know, something feels off," answered Danny. He couldn't get rid of the bad feeling.

"Hm," said Chin. "What did he write?" he asked.

Danny handed him the phone to have a look. _Hey Danno, I'll be a bit late, need to arrange something. Do me a favor and check up on Mickey, I want to be sure he is all right._

"That reminds me…" said Danny, took his phone back and dialed Mickey's number.

He put the phone down almost immediately. "Voice mail," he said and looked at Chin.

"I'll ask Kono to trace his phone," said Chin and called Kono immediately.

"Steve is going to kill me if something happens to his friend," said Danny.

"Thanks, cuz," Chin turned to Danny. "He should be at his aunt's place, do you want to go there?" he asked.

Danny sighed. "I'd rather talk to Olsen, it's safer but yeah, we're going there. Call Grover and send him and Kono to talk to Olsen," he instructed.

* * *

Danny parked in front of Mickey's house and they got out of the car. They approached the door.

"Danny," said Chin as he reached for his gun.

"I see it," said Danny and did the same. He noticed the door are wide open.

They carefully moved in, searching the house room by room.

"Clear," heard Danny from the upstairs.

"Clear," he shouted and put his gun back to the case. "No one is here."

Chin came back downstairs and found Danny in the living room. It looked terrible, everything seemed to be upside down.

"I've got some blood upstairs and this," Chin showed Danny a destroyed cell phone.

"It's probably Mickey's," said Danny.

They came back to the hallway and saw a small blood puddle under the stairway, then Danny noticed a few drips on the stairs.

"This blood trail starts at the top of the stairway, my guess is someone injured fell down the stairs, leaving this behind," said Chin.

"Okay I'll take the blood sample for Max and we need to get HPD here as soon as possible. Let them secure the evidence," said Danny.

"We need to find Mickey, probably his aunt too," he added.

Danny dialed Steve's number again, he had to let him know what happened. It was ringing._ Answer the damn phone you stubborn neandertal! _He thought. It was ringing for another few seconds, then he picked up.

"Steve, are you all right? Where are you?" he asked in relief.

"Danno I can't talk right now, I'm fine," said Steve.

"You can't talk?" Danny raised his voice. "I tried calling you before, what's going on?"

"I'll call you later, okay?" said Steve, ignoring Danny's concern.

"Call me later? Don't you dare to hang up on me," said Danny.

He frowned and looked at Chin. "Unbelievable, he hanged up," he said.

"Well, at least he is all right," Chin grinned.

_Yeah, he is all right._ Danny's gut was still telling him something is wrong, something seems off and he couldn't figure out what is it. Was it his voice? He did sound more cranky than usual. _What kind of stupid idea did he get this time?_


	7. Let's Talk

Sharp pain lanced through Steve's head as he gathered his senses. He tried to stretch his sore body but he couldn't move much as his arms were tied up behind the chair he was sitting on and his ankles were tied up to the chair's legs. Steve strained against the zip-ties on his wrists, but they only dug deeper into his skin. Memories started to come back to him. He looked around to examine his surroundings. All he could see was a small empty room with no windows, the bright lights from the ceiling made him squint his eyes. The concrete walls seemed old but unfinished. His vision was still blurry, but he recognized the shape of a man standing in the corner of the room. He looked at him, trying to see who the man is and the man's shadow moved toward him. He looked at the man and refocused on his face as he moved closer. Steve's vision was still not clear, but it was clear enough to recognize his face. He froze.

"You?" he asked in surprise. His voice was weak, he tried to process that he knows this man.

The man was now standing right in front of him and Steve could catch a glimpse of his smile.

"Why?" he asked.

The man didn't answer. Steve had to fight to keep his eyes opened, but his vision was now clear.

"It was about time, commander. It took you a while to wake up," said the man.

"That's probably my fault, though. I probably overdid it with this," he said as he raised his hand with a small vial full of clear liquid.

Steve looked up at him, gathering the strength to say something.

"I must say, I'm disappointed," said the man.

"I've expected some fight from you," he continued. His lips stretched into a smile.

"Yeah? Well maybe next time don't sneak up on me from behind," said Steve.

"You should have expected that, commander. Besides, there won't be any next time," answered the man.

Anger was growing inside Steve, he jerked his shoulders, although he knew it won't free him. "All right, you wanted to fight? Untie my hands and we can try it. Or you know what? All I need is one hand, how about that?"

A big smile crossed his captor's face. "There's the spark I wanted to see."

Steve had enough of this game. "What do you want?" he asked.

The man walked behind Steve's back. "I thought you're smarter. Famous Five-0 can figure out everything, right?"

Steve didn't answer.

After a few seconds, he could hear the man's voice from behind him again. This time it was closer. "Look I'd like to talk to you but I need to take care of something first. So sit tight and wait for me here, okay? I won't be away for long."

Steve tried to turn around to look at him as he moved closer. He could see the man was holding a syringe in his right hand, ready to use it.

"You'll feel a sharp scratch," he said as he plunged the needle to Steve's neck.

"I just want to make sure you'll still be here when I come back," he said as he stood up in front of Steve again.

Steve looked into his eyes, he could feel his consciousness slowly slipping away. "I'll kill you, Mickey," he said quietly as his eyesight blurred again, everything became fuzzy and then it all faded to darkness.

* * *

When he woke up again, he was alone in the room. It took him a while to refocus again, the pain in the back of his head made it hard to think clearly. The dried blood on his neck gave him a hint of how badly he got hit back in Mickey's house. It felt like his brain is slowed down as well as every cell of his body. Maybe it was the effect of the drugs. He scanned through the room again, looking for something which could help him to free himself. But he didn't see anything. Steve knew he is not in a good position but he was sure about one thing. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.

Mickey entered the room. "Your phone keeps ringing, Steve."

He walked toward him and smiled. "Looks like your annoying partner misses you, isn't that cute?"

Steve looked up at him, trying to ignore that comment. "He is probably looking for you already, you won't get away, better give it up while you have a chance."

Mickey crossed his arms. "Well, in that case, it's good I made sure he is focused on something else," he said.

"It will take a while before he figures out you're here," he added after a while.

Steve's heart skipped a beat. Did he do something to Danny?

"What did you do?" He looked into his captor's eyes with rage.

Mickey remained calm, he was clearly enjoying this. "Think, Steve."

Steve tried to connect the dots. It was so hard to focus, everything was unclear and he felt so tired. The call from Mickey at night, the living room after the fight, the cell phone on the floor and then the pain and darkness.

"Do you mean this charade at your house? You want to make my team believe you're the victim?" he asked, not expecting the answer. He knew it. Mickey played them. He wanted to be close to them so he can confuse everyone. And now they are focused on finding out who took Mickey instead of knowing the true identity of their killer.

"They are smarter than that, they will figure it out," he added.

"I'm sure they will at some point. But considering I've been watching you guys for a while and I've cloned the SIM cards of all of you, I've got a head start. I just wanted to buy us more some time," said Mickey.

"And you'll help me to get more time for the two of us," he grinned.

"Time for what? Why would I do that?" asked Steve.

As soon as he asked, he was looking into the barrel of his own pistol.

"If you want to kill me, just do it," said Steve, with defiance in his voice. He knew that if Mickey wanted to shoot him, he would be already dead.

"Oh I will, but I won't make it that easy for you," said Mickey as he lowered the pistol.

"I want to talk first and we need time for that," he added.

He disappeared behind Steve once again for a couple of seconds, then he came back holding a few prints. "Maybe I've got some motivation for you," he said.

He threw the prints into Steve's lap.

Steve looked down. It was several photos from surveillance. Photos of Danny, Grace, and Charlie. That bastard had them watched. As soon as he realized what he is looking at, he knew Mickey's right. That's enough of a motivation.

"A friend of mine is at the school right now, just keeping an eye on that cute girl. What's her name again? Gracie?" said Mickey.

Steve jerked his body again, he wanted to punch Mickey so much. "Don't you dare to touch them," he said.

"Or what? I know you don't care what happens to you. But I see you care about them, don't you?" asked Mickey.

"You're gonna die today, commander. But unless you do what I say, your best friend and these two sweet kids will follow you," he added.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Steve.

"I'm sure that detective Williams will try to call you again very soon, he's been texting and calling all morning," answered Mickey.

"You'll answer that call, Steve. Say you can't talk to him right now and that you're fine. Say you' ll call him later and better make it believable," he said.

Steve agreed. There was no way he would jeopardize their safety for his own.

A short while later the phone rang as Mickey expected. He approached Steve.

"And remember, if you try anything, I'll make the call and you won't be the only one who dies," he reminded Steve and answered the call and put it on speaker.

"Steve are you all right? Where are you?" asked Danny, his voice sounded concerned and relieved at the same time.

"Danno, I can't talk right now, I'm fine," said Steve.

"You can't talk? I tried calling you before, what's going on?" asked Danny. Steve sighed, wondering if he should give his partner any hint. But Mickey was smart, he couldn't risk that.

"I'll call you later, okay?" he said.

"Call me later? Don't you dare to hang up on me!," said Danny and Mickey ended the call immediately.

"Well done, commander," he said.

"Now, let's talk, shall we?" said Mickey as he lunged forward and his fist slammed Steve's face.


	8. The Choices We Made

_Hello :) I hope you are enjoying the story so far, if you do, please leave a review._

* * *

Danny nervously paced around the table.

"Danny, are you all right?" asked Kono.

"Uh… yeah, it's just…"

She looked at him, waiting for him to say what's on his mind.

"It's Steve, okay? I think he did something stupid, like always. I talked to him but why the hell he would be doing something else instead of being here? His friend's missing and we've got a killer going after them, he should be here."

"Boss can take care of himself, Danny," said Kono trying to calm Danny down.

"I know. But do me a favor please and try if you can find his phone and car," said Danny.

Kono nodded and left to her office.

"Okay, we need to find Mickey, and as far as we know his aunt is missing too, Olsen is dead and I've checked every single name from the customer's list but nothing seems suspicious," said Jerry.

"It's good Mr. Dylan Andrews was so nice and told us he has been paid for his murder," Grover joined the conversation.

"I bet he didn't just say it because of his good heart," Chin looked at him with a grin and Grover winked.

"What's money good for if you're in jail for the rest of the life?"

Jerry swiped a picture of a woman and a young boy to the screen. "For his wife and son," he said. "The money landed at Mrs. Andrews's account. She said she had no idea and doesn't want his money."

"Did he say who hired him?" asked Danny.

"He didn't know the name, but the guy visited him and he described him. Male, haole, 6 feet, the late 30s - early 40s, dark hair," summed up Grover.

"We asked for security cameras records but someone deleted them. I think he had some help from inside," he said.

"But…" said Jerry as he typed on the table. "We've got a list of visitors, and only one person visited Andrews in the past week. This man. Keoni Maleah."

Danny scratched his chin. "That sounds like a local name, Andrews said he was haole, didn't he?"

"I bet it's a fake name," said Jerry. "And look at this, he was shopping in our store as well," he got the customers list and the visitors list on the screen and continued typing.

"I've got something else," he continued. "He has been traveling in and out of Hawaii quite often in the past 4 months, so I can check the airport security cameras, give me a minute."

Kono came back and joined the team, Danny pulled her aside. "You found him?" he asked.

"I don't have a signal on his phone but I found his car," she said and showed him the place on her laptop. "It's a port."

Danny noded. "Thanks."

"Got him!" Jerry shouted but the big smile disappeared from his face as he zoomed in to the face of their suspect. "Oh my God!" he said.

Jerry put the photo on the screen so everybody else can have a look.

Danny froze. His eyes widened and a wave of heat flooded his body. That's not possible.

Jerry realized everybody in the room understood but he felt the need to say it out loud because he himself couldn't believe it. "Keoni Maleah is Michael Rogers…"

* * *

Steve startled awake and gasped for air. He had to pass out again. How long has he been out cold? He felt a sharp pain in his chest as he inhaled and then again with every breath. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. The back of his skull throbbed and he felt a warm streak of blood running down his face from his left temple. He moved his hand to inspect the damage - except that it didn't move.

"It seems you're awake again, Steve," said Mickey, his voice brimming with excitement. He stood right in front of Steve, his knuckles were bloody from endless beating.

Steve remembered his wrists are tied up behind his back. He tried to wrench his hands free and felt the zip-ties dig into his flesh. He tried to push the pain into the back of his skull and kept fighting his wrist restraints. They sawed deeper and drew blood. Every instinct forced him to fight.

"You…" his voice was shaking. "You killed your own men."

"Why?"

A short laugh was an answer.

"Because they deserved it," said Mickey after a while.

"Have you heard about operation Purple Dragon?" he asked.

Steve nodded. "It was a black op, it went down the hill, no survivors."

Mickey scoffed. "That's what they told you, huh?

He paced in front of Steve for a while, then he stopped and looked at him. "I was there," he said.

"There were ten of us, we had two objectives: disable the boat and plane our target wanted to use to escape. Disabling the boat went well but we ran into serious trouble at the airfield. We were under fire and outnumbered. Six men died, the rest of us were captured," he made a short pause.

"My best friend, Jake, was one of the survivors. We've been there for weeks, tortured every single day for answers about the operation. We didn't say a thing. I've watched two team members die during the interrogation, it was only me and Jake in the end."

Mickey clenched his fists and gagged before he continued. We've been awaiting a rescue team but instead, they left us to die in there. One day they took Jake away, nothing unusual, he was a tough guy. But this time it was different, I heard his loud screams of agony. When I ran to my cell's door I saw him. I will never forget what I saw. They've crippled him and… And burned him alive."

Steve sighed, he knew how it feels to watch a close person dying. He listened but he didn't stop trying to free his hands meanwhile. He was pretty glad Mickey is focused on speaking now, at least he took a break from trying to beat the soul out of Steve.

"I got a chance to get away when they moved the prisoners. I managed to run away, get to the base, told them everything just to find out those bastards didn't move their finger to get us out of there," continued Mickey.

They knew about it and did nothing!" he yelled

"Dean…" said Steve, guessing he sent their team on the mission.

"Him and Malone, they were the ones who decided about no extraction necessary," Mickey interrupted him.

"What about the others?" asked Steve. Blood was dripping to the floor as the zip-ties on his wrists dug deeper with every move he made. Mickey certainly made sure it's not easy to get out of his restraints.

"It felt good, to free the world from people like Dean and Malone, who were sending people to the suicide missions with no intention of helping them if something goes wrong. So I figured I can do the world a favor and continue in this mission. For Jake."

Steve still didn't understand how he fitted Mickey's crazy plan. "What have I done?" he asked, trying to get a little bit more time to free himself.

Mickey's facial expression changed from sad to angry. "You tell me, commander. How many people died under your command?"

A heavy silence fell upon the room. Steve's mind shifted to those times when he's been an active SEAL officer. To his team members fighting alongside him who never made it back home. But one particular memory was brighter than any other. The memory he tried to put behind him for years, but he couldn't. The two-man operation to North Korea with his SEAL brother and best friend - Freddie Hart. He wouldn't even be on that mission if Steve didn't ask him to, he would see his wife again and daughter he never got to see. The whole picture came back to his mind and emptiness filled his heart. It was like watching him dying again. Sacrificing himself so Steve has a chance to get away. He closed his eyes and felt the guilt started to eat him again.

* * *

Danny stormed out of the building with a phone on his ear. Voice mail again. He was about to sit behind the wheel when he heard Chin's voice.

"Danny!"

He stopped and turned around. "I need to check it out," he said.

"I know, Danny but come on, you can't go there alone," Chin tried to stop him.

"Stay here and find Mickey. Let me know if you find him. I need to be sure Steve's not in trouble," he said and disappeared in his Camaro.

"Danny, no!"


	9. Where Are You?

Maybe Mickey's right. There is no way to justify that he chose Freddie to go to that op and that he left his friend in there. Damn, he blamed himself for that for years.

"I'll take that silence as you know what I'm talking about," Mickey interrupted Steve's thoughts.

"Look, I get it. I know what you've been through, it must have been hell," said Steve. "But this is not the way. You and me, we both followed orders, it doesn't…," he didn't have a chance to finish the sentence.

"SHUT UP, STEVE!" yelled Mickey. "Orders? From people who don't care?"

"That's not true Mi…" Mickey's right hook landed up on Steve's face and blood spurted of his mouth.

"I told you to shut up."

Steve kept twisting his hands despite growing pain in his wrists, trying to get out of his restraints as he watched Mickey disappear behind his back again.

When he came back, he was holding a dirty towel and a bucket full of water. Steve sighed, he knew what's going to happen, he's been through this before.

"What's the point in this?" he asked pointing his head to the bucket.

"We suffered the ways it's hard to imagine. We've been through hell. I saw my best friend being tortured and killed just because of people like you," said Mickey with rage in his eyes. "I want you to know how it feels. The desperation, the agony…"

"People like me?" Steve raised his voice. "You were one of us! I get you're not the same person after what happened but you know what's that job like. People like me are protecting our country, making the world a safer place!"

Mickey grinned. "Sure, keep saying that to yourself if that makes you feel better."

"Have you tried therapy?" Steve knew he shouldn't say that one but he couldn't help himself. It's understandable to have difficult times dealing with something like that but killing people because of that is not acceptable. Mickey's fist landed in his stomach this time so hard that it took his breath away. He gasped for air.

"I won't repeat that again. This is the last warning, Steve. Keep your mouth shut!"

Mickey walked toward Steve, put his feet on the front of the chair and kicked to it, causing the chair to flip over to the back. Steve's head hit the hard, cold floor and his ears began to ring. The sharp pain cut through his skull and everything became blurry again. His bodyweight was now crushing his arms, still tied up behind his back as he was lying on the back of the chair.

Mickey bent over above Steve and knelt down his right knee on his chest holding him down while crushing his ribcage. He threw the wet towel over his face so it covered Steve's eyes, nose, and mouth, lifted the bucket with the water and slowly poured it's entire content through the towel right on his face until he almost lost consciousness.

Steve's nose filled with water and the sensation of suffocation followed. When he was just about to pass out, unable to breathe, Mickey removed the towel and Steve spluttered out water, gasping for air, while Mickey filled another bucket with water.

He came back and repeated the process. As he removed the towel again, Steve gagged and coughed uncontrollably. As soon as the cough stopped, Mickey was back, ready for another round and then again and again.

He had lost track of time. It felt like forever. When Mickey decided to take a break, Steve's brain was on fire and his throat was completely swollen up. Steve panted and groaned, every breath was harder and more painful.

Laying on his back, he could recognize a blurry shape of Mickey behind him, searching the table in the corner of the room.

"I enjoyed your company, commander. I wish we could continue this conversation. However I'm afraid your friends finally figured out the truth, so we don't have much time left," Mickey's voice was echoing in Steve's head.

It was now or never and Steve knew that. He won't give it up, he needs to free himself and fight this crazy son of a bitch who he considered a friend once. He waited for Mickey to turn his back to him again, twitched his whole body to the side with all the strength left in him and turned to his side. In a second he jerked his arms to the back and the locking mechanism of zip ties on his wrist finally broke.

Mickey reacted immediately, he jumped at Steve, trying to push him to the floor but before he landed, Steve rolled to the side. With his ankles still tied to the chair's legs, he lifted his lower body off the floor and smashed the chair against Mickey's back while he was on the floor. The chair legs broke and he was now free to move. Both of them stood up in a fraction of a second. Steve's head was spinning and he could barely hold the balance, not to mention his whole body aching.

Steve lunged forward and shot his fist toward Mickey but he missed. His reflexes were way too slow after all that he has been through. Mickey dodged and returned the punch, hitting Steve's head again. Steve's tongue was now soaked in the taste of blood. He dropped to the floor. Bruised and winded, he grabbed Mickey's foot and pulled him to ground. His head was pounding. He brought the fist to Mickey's face. Mickey's nose was now bleeding, he rolled away from Steve and stood up, regaining his balance. Steve's body crashed into Mickey's torso, hitting the table behind them. Steve quickly wrapped his arm around Mickey's neck and firmly pressed it against his body, strangling his opponent. Mickey gasped for air as he saw the injection he had ready on the table and he reached for it and plunged it into Steve's neck.

A sudden gush of pain jolted through Steve's body. He released his grip on Mickey. His head throbbed like crazy, his chest was burning and every breath was agony. He couldn't stand anymore, his legs weakened and he swayed before he collapsed to the floor. He was lying on his back, the bright light from the ceiling was making the pain in his head even sharper. A dark silhouette of Mickey stood up above him. "See you at your funeral, commander," he heard as the light faded into blackness.

* * *

Danny jumped out of the car when he saw Steve's blue Silverado parked on the side of the road. He approached it and tried to open the door. It was locked. He looked inside trough the window. There was no sign of anything suspicious, Steve's gun was not there, neither his phone. He looked down, inspecting the tires. He was looking for dirt, or anything else suggesting where has the truck been before but he couldn't find anything.

Danny looked around, he saw the pier on the water just a few meters from where Steve's car has been parked. Only one small fishing boat and a motorboat were docked in there. He walked toward the boat and had a closer look. No one was there.

The rays of the sun started to turn orange as it was lowering to the horizon. The gentle waves scattered the evening sun and salty air whipped Danny's cheeks.

Danny's eyes drifted to the horizon, wondering what did Steve do, where did he go and why he didn't say anything. Is he all right?

_Where are you, buddy?_


	10. The Clock's Ticking

**_Thank you for reading this far. It's far from the end tho. If you enjoy the story, let me know in the reviews. _**

**_PS: I hope I'm not too harsh to Steve (let me know what you think)_**

* * *

"Guys, look at this," said Kono and everybody looked at the screen. "Michael's aunt died four months ago." So that nice story about him helping his aunt was a lie too.

"I just got a call from lab… You remember our last vic, commander Thomas Turner?" asked Chin. "Well it seems like he put up some fight before his killer got him and luckily for us, he had glasses on when that happened. The killer touched it when they fought and obviously he forgot about it. They found the fingerprints and we've got a match, Rogers is definitely our guy."

"We need to find him, " said Grover.

"I found a car registered to his fake name, I'm trying to find it now," said Jerry.

Grover lifted his sight from the screen and looked at Chin. "Any word from McGarrett?"

Chin shook his head.

"I found his car," Jerry shouted. "Here," he said as he brought up the map on the screen, featuring a flashing red dot. "He's in moving."

"Jerry call Danny, tell him to meet us there," said Chin.

"Let's go!"

* * *

_What a fool! He deserves to die, just like others did. They keep telling him he needs help. No… When he really needed help, no one cared. How dare they to say he needs help now?! _

Mickey stood above Steve's unconscious body, trying to slow his breathing down after their fight. There was a streak of blood running from his nose and a bruise started to form under his eye. But he was actually glad that Steve tried to fight him, at least it brought some excitement to the scene. He knelt down and rolled Steve over to his belly. He tied up his bloody wrists with zip ties behind his back again and then he secured his ankles together, making sure he wouldn't be able to defend himself in case he wakes up too early.

He stood up, grabbed Steve's bound ankles and dragged him out of the room, out of the building. The sky had streaks of orange clouds on it as the sun was now almost ready to be set. He dragged Steve's body a little bit further, just next to the big hole dug in the ground, just deep enough to cover the coffin. The empty wooden coffin lined with faux-silk was ready on the bottom of the hole.

He checked his watch, just enough time to get the job done. _They're probably on their way by now. He needs to get out of here, as far as possible. He won't give them a chance to find McGarrett. He deserves to die. They will never find him on time._

He lifted Steve's beaten body and pushed him to the hole. He picked up the white rose from the ground next to the grave and threw it on Steve's chest. He picked up his cell phone, snapped a quick photo of Steve - for his collection, and closed the lid and started to shovel the soil on top of it.

_See you at your funeral, commander. _

* * *

Danny hurried to the place where Mickey's car was seen last time.

"HPD secured the perimeter if he is still around he won't get away," he heard in his earphone.

He speeded up, he was really close now, looking for a white Tacoma. Then he saw it and pushed the pedal to the ground.

"Guys, I've got him," he said. "He's headed south of Ailuna Street." He could see the red and blue lights of the police sirens behind him, knowing he is not alone.

"We're right behind you, Danny."

Mickey's Tacoma speeded up, Danny figured out Mickey realized they were after him. He wished Steve was there, he could use some of his crazy driving now.

He managed to overtake Mickey and the tires screeched as he jerked the steering wheel to block him, forcing Mickey to stop. Grover and Chin both stopped behind him, blocking Mickey from the back and got out of the car.

Danny jumped out of the car with a pistol in his hands, ready to shoot. "Five-0, get out of the vehicle, now!" he screamed, aiming at Mickey.

Mickey slowly opened the door of the car. "Show me your hands! I want to see your hands!" said Danny.

When Mickey fully opened the door, Danny noticed a pistol in his hand. "He's got a gun!" he yelled as Mickey aimed at him and fired three shots before he crouched behind the car in cover.

He slid down on the ground behind his car to take cover and returned the gunshot.

Mickey peaked from behind his cover, shooting at Chin and Grover, the bullets were cutting through the air.

"Give it up, Rogers! You're not getting out of here!" screamed Grover at Mickey.

The answer was several bullets fired their way.

While Mickey was turned to Chin and Grover, Danny used the chance and fired at him but Mickey dodged. He shot back at Danny and then Danny heard a click. He immediately jumped up and over the hood of the car as he realized Mickey's out of bullets. He aimed his pistol to Mickey's face.

"On the ground, now," he said. "Hands behind your back."

Mickey hesitated for a moment, then he slowly slid down to his knees and put his hands behind his back as instructed.

"You're under arrest for multiple counts of murder," said Danny as he cuffed the wrists behind Mickey's back.

* * *

Steve's head throbbed when he opened his eyes and tried to look around. The blood was dripping from his left temple and the mouth. The back of his head was covered in blood too. He was laying on the side. The sharp pain in the chest hit him as he tried to roll over and lay on his back. Where was he? How did he get there?

It was completely dark and he couldn't see anything. His heart was racing like crazy. He tried to move his arms, but he couldn't. His muscles felt paralyzed. What's going on? Is that an effect of the drugs? He tried to move again, then he realized his hands are tied up behind his back, restraints cutting trough the flesh on his wrists once again and his ankles were tied together. It was so hot. The intense heat made it even harder to breathe. Then the reality hit him as he remembered how he got here. Mickey. That traitor. That son of a bitch got him.

His eyelids were so heavy, he struggled to keep his eyes opened. But he couldn't afford to close his eyes, he needed to stay awake. He knew that soon as he falls asleep, it's over. He won't let Mickey get what he wants.

His breaths were short and shallow, to slow down the air consumption and buy himself a few extra minutes. He knew panic wouldn't help him, he needs to remain calm. His instincts screamed for him to do something. To scream for help, or try to dig his way out but Steve knew it's pointless, it would only make things worse. Not that he had any energy to scream or move anyway. He was barely awake.

He hated how weak he felt but there was nothing he could do. All he wanted at this point was to sleep. He was sure that Danny knows, he must be looking for him already. He just has to stay awake for a little longer and hope his friend will find him before it's too late. _Hurry up, buddy._


	11. Interrogation

**_This chapter is the longest so far as I really really enjoyed writing it for some reason :) _**

**_Let me know what you think._**

**_And again, I apologize if there are any mistakes or a bit of broken English._**

* * *

Mickey smiled as Danny, Grover and Chin entered the interrogation room.

Danny looked at him, not understanding why this traitor is smiling. They got him. "Is this where you want to be? It looks like you are comfortable, which is good, get used to it," he said.

"Well, I'd appreciate some good food but other than that I'm okay, detective. I won't stay for long though," answered Mickey.

Danny laughed. "Oh, you won't? You're not going anywhere but Halawa after we're done here."

"Where is McGarrett?" asked Mickey. "He's less hostile to me than you, I'd prefer to speak to him."

Danny laughed again. Was that supposed to be a joke?

"McGarrett and less hostile? I'm the good cop out of two of us. Trust me, when he shows up you'll be glad I'm the one questioning you first."

"When is that gonna be?" asked Mickey with a big smile on his face.

Danny wanted to punch him every time that guy smiled. He hated that he lied to Steve all this time and they let him be so close.

"Don't worry about it, he'll pay you a visit later. For now, you have to talk to us," he said.

"You know, detective," answered Mickey, "I'm not the one who should be worried at the moment."

Danny didn't understand why would Mickey say that. He's been arrested and with the evidence they had, it was sure he will end up in Halawa. And yet, he was not scared at all, he seemed relaxed like he thought he was untouchable, no regret in his eyes.

"Check it out yourself, I've got a phone in the pocket," said Mickey.

Danny didn't like playing this game anymore, he wanted to understand what is he talking about. He reached for Mickey's pocket and took the cell phone out.

Mickey smiled again. "Open the gallery," he instructed.

Danny opened the gallery as Mickey asked him to and froze. He felt like a ball got stuck in his throat and his heart skipped a few beats as he realized what is he looking at. The latest photo was a photo of unconscious Steve, tied up and covered with blood. He was laying in what seemed to be a coffin and there was a fresh white rose on his chest.

The heavy silence filled the room for a moment before Danny lifted his sight full of rage back to Mickey, he lunged forward and his left fist quickly shot towards Mickey's face. His left hook was so strong that blood sprouted from his mouth immediately.

"Danny, no!" Chin ran towards him, grabbed his shoulders and pulled him back.

Danny gave Chin the phone to have a look. Grover came closer to check out what's going on here.

Danny didn't say a word, he nervously paced around the room. His fear became true, Mickey got his best friend, his brother, and it crushed his soul.

"You son of a bitch!" said Grover looking at Mickey with a shocked face, but he just smiled again.

* * *

Danny smashed the door behind him as he stormed out of the interrogation room and leaned his arms straight against the cold wall.

He took a deep breath, picked up the phone and called Max.

"Detective Williams, I just wanted to call you," said Max.

Danny's voice was shaking and urgent. "Max, he got Steve. Please tell me you've got something that can help us find him."

Moment of quiet on the other side of the phone. "In that case what I was about to tell you is not a surprise, the blood from Roger's house belongs to Commander McGarrett. Unfortunately, I don't know how could such information help you find him."

That's not what Danny wanted to hear. That meant Steve was gone this whole time. At least since early morning, or maybe night for what Danny knows, and he didn't do anything. All this time he knew something is wrong, he felt it in his gut, yet didn't do much to help him. His heart was pounding in his chest, racing. He knew he needs to find Steve, ASAP.

The guilt sat on his guts, it was like gasoline slowly eating him from inside. He should have stayed with him yesterday, he should have never left him alone knowing there is someone out there trying to get him.

"Uhh… Okay, how long can he survive in the coffin?" he asked, while nervously walking around disturbed by a fact he has to ask such a question.

"That depends. Let's say the average coffin measures 84 by 28 by 23 inches, considering the temperature and the size of McGarrett's body, I'd estimate he's got 4-5 hours maximum, unless he panics, which would significantly shorten that timeframe," said Max.

Danny was shocked. He looked at the watch to check what time is it. That's bad, really, really bad. It's been over 2 hours since they arrested Mickey. He doesn't know how long Steve's been buried. He doesn't know where he is. All he knows is that Steve is out there, hurt and confused, relying on his partner to find him. Or possibly dead.

He couldn't get rid of this bad feeling in his gut. The fear, that yesterday's evening was the last one he saw his best friend alive. And the fear, that it'll be his fault.

* * *

He walked into the interrogation room again with his hands clenched into fists, Chin and Grover were trying to convince Mickey to tell them something, playing a good cop and a bad cop game. They stepped aside as Danny walked in and passed by his colleagues without a word.

Danny just walked straight to Mickey, with anger and hatred in his eyes and punched him so hard, that he would fall if he wasn't cuffed to the chair.

"Danny," said Chin. "He won't speak with a broken jaw."

Mickey groaned and spat blood, then he lifted his head up and laughed. It drove Danny crazy.

"WHERE IS HE?" he yelled.

Silence.

"I think I asked you something!" Danny's voice was loud and clear. His desperation was growing up.

Mickey said nothing.

Danny grabbed Mickey under his neck, reached for his pistol and aimed it to his face.

"I'll ask again. Where is Steve?"

Nothing. No regret in criminal's face. No answer.

"Danny, don't," said Chin, trying to calm down his colleague.

"You won't kill me, detective. Not as long as you think there is a chance McGarrett is alive at least," said Mickey.

The gun in Danny's hand was still pressed against his forehead, his hand was shaking.

"Plus, you're a cop, you can't shoot me," said Mickey with a big smile stretched trough his face.

That's it. That was the last drop Danny needed. He looked at Chin and Grover.

"Can we get a moment alone?" he asked.

Chin nodded, he understood, he knew what Danny is about to try McGarret's interrogation methods and he hoped they will work.

As soon as the door closed behind Chin and Grover, Danny took his badge off and threw it on the floor. Mickey looked at the badge, then back to Danny. Danny looked into Mickey's eyes, approached him and without thinking he hit him in the head with the back of his gun. The blood cracked through Mickey's skin and ran down his face.

"I think I should file a complaint about you, detective."

"Look around. There is no one here, no cameras, no witnesses and I am not wearing a badge. No one knows what happens here. Now I'm not asking you like a cop and I will only ask once."

A short pause followed.

Where - is - Steve?" he asked, this time his voice was clear, but loud, hiding the fear behind it. He was ready to do whatever it takes to get the information. Steve was running out of time, he might even be dead. A wave of heat flooded him at this thought.

"I don't think it matters anymore, detective. You're too late. You should have asked a couple of hours ago."

Mickey yelled in agony as he felt the bullet from Danny's gun tearing up trough his flesh on his thigh. His blood stained the floor immediately.

A heavy feeling crushed Danny's chest. The thought of his best friend, his brother being gone was unbearable. Without hesitating, he hit Mickey's face again. He swayed in the chair.

"All right, listen to me. LISTEN TO ME YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Danny yelled, holding Mickey's neck with one hand and pressing the gun against his forehead with the other one.

Mickey looked at him, he didn't say anything.

"If he dies, I swear to God I'm gonna kill you myself. YOU HEAR ME?"

"Do you really think this will make me help you?" he asked. "I've been through much worse. We can do this dance all night if you want."

Another shot and scream echoed the room as Danny lowered his gun and fired another bullet to his leg.

"I don't care if you bleed out right here you son of a bitch."

"You know what's funny?" asked Mickey. Their eyes met.

"You're treating me very much like I treated McGarrett earlier today. Which means you're no different than I am."

His heart skipped another beat with this sentence. The thought of Steve being tortured while Danny thought he just got something else to do was stabbing into his heart. He closed his and saw it. He saw how Steve's helpless at this sick bastard's hands. He just hoped, with all his heart, that he finds his brother and that he will forgive him for not being there.

"You son of a bitch… If my brother won't make it, you're a dead man. HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?!"

"Go to hell, detective!"

Kono opened the door slowly, afraid of what she might see as she heard the shots. She sighed in relief when she saw Mickey is still alive. Of course, she wanted him to be dead but not like this. She didn't want to see Danny pay for it.

"Danny, we've got something," she said.

Danny rushed outside to find out what they know.

"Security cameras of one jewelry store picked up Mickey just 10 minutes before we arrested him, not far from where we found him," said Kono as she showed Danny a map in her tablet. "Here."

"That doesn't mean Steve is there," said Danny, frustration inside him was growing up.

"Wait, there is something else. He walked in front of the same camera 3 hours before that, he headed the opposite direction. Jerry cleared the recording and zoomed it in. He had dirt on his clothes before we arrested him. But on the first recording his clothes were clean," Kono continued.

"Okay, he needed some time to pull it off in between right?" said Danny. "So we can estimate the area where to look for but that's not enough."

"I've checked the map, there is a small abandoned building site about five minutes from that store," she said. "It was supposed to be another hotel resort but it has never been finished as the company who bought it, bankrupted. It hasn't been sold to new investors yet so it's a good place for some privacy."

Danny sighed. "Also a good place to hide a body, no one finds it until they start the building works again, right? It's our best shot. Call HPD, I want as many people as possible to look for him. Let's go!"

They only had one shot. If they're wrong, there won't be time to look somewhere else and Danny knew it. He couldn't stand the thought of losing his best friend, his brother.

**_Hang in there, buddy. I'm on my way!_**


	12. Right Here With You

When they arrived at the place, they saw a huge unfinished concrete building in front of them, surrounded by a big land around. There were piles of the ground everywhere. That's too much of a land to cover. Danny realized it might be harder than he thought to find Steve.

"It's huge," he said as he looked around, with desperation in his voice.

"Steve!" Kono screamed as they jumped out of the cars.

"That won't help us, cuz," said Chin. "He won't hear us."

"Chin's right," said Danny. "We need to spread out and look for any cues and signs of digging. An ambulance is on its way."

Four HPD cars arrived just a few seconds later and eight police officers joined the team. "McGarrett is somewhere here, we need to find him. Let's spread out, look for something, anything," he said.

Adrenaline was rushing through his body as he walked around trying to find any sign of fresh soil. "Detective Williams!" he heard from behind him. He turned around. It was one of the HPD officers, waving at Danny. "Over here!"

Danny ran forward, every second counted. He could hear his heart pounding in his chest, trying to get out. He looked at the spot where a police officer pointed him to and noticed the ground was different here, it looked fresher than the rest. This has to be the place, there was no time for mistakes. He dropped to his knees and started to dig with his hands, ignoring the dirt getting stuck behind his nails. He moved as fast as he could, hoping Steve is still alive.

"A little help over here!" he shouted and the team ran toward him. All of them surrounded the spot and helped Danny to dig. Danny's heart was racing even faster.

"Steve!" he yelled. He knew he could hear him, he felt it in his gut. "Steve!"

Grover's hands stumbled on something hard. "Guys!" he said. "I think we got him."

They quickly removed the last clumps of soil so they could see the top of the coffin. "Steve!" yelled Danny again. No answer. He has to hear him now, why doesn't he give him a sign he's all right? Danny couldn't bear the thought they came too late. He dug his fingers under the lid of the coffin and opened it.

Cold sweat ran down his face when he saw his partner, laying motionless. Was he dead? Or unconscious? From this angle, he didn't see whether Steve's breathing or not. There was a small puddle of blood under his head, deep bloody cuts lined his wrists and his face was bruised.

"Steve?" he said, this time he barely whispered, his voice was broken. Steve didn't move, he didn't make a sound and time stood still.

Danny reached down for his friend and with Grover's help, he carefully pulled Steve up and put him gently on the ground. He could see his wounds better now, he didn't look good at all.

No one dared to say a word as Danny reached for Steve's neck checking for a pulse. He sighed in relief. It was weak but present. "He's got a pulse, get those paramedics here," he said.

"Hey, Steve… You're all right. Talk to me, buddy."

Kono knelt down beside Steve, got her knife out and cut the restraints on his wrists and ankles as Danny touched Steve's shoulder. "Wake up Steve, come on, open your eyes," he whispered and gently shook Steve's body.

Steve jerked, his eyes opened and he gasped for air.

"You're all right?"

Steve didn't answer, he tried to sit down but a sharp pain didn't allow him to.

"Easy. Easy there, buddy," said Danny as he helped Steve to sit.

"You're all right?" he asked again softly.

Steve looked around with a blank expression on his face, still gasping for air. His gaze was unfocused, scanning the surroundings, he looked everywhere but Danny. His head was throbbing and his heart racing. Danny's question echoed inside his head.

"You're all right, huh?" asked Danny again while holding his friend in a seated position.

"Yeah," whispered Steve weakly, still looking around, trying to refocus. He looked around, over Danny's shoulder, like he was looking for something.

"Where is Danny?" he asked.

"I'm right here, buddy. Right here," whispered Danny as he touched his shoulder again, to reassure his friend that he is there. He looked into Steve's eyes, they were blank. He seemed lost, confused.

"It's okay, Steve. You're all right."

"Danny. Where is Danny?" he repeated, panting.

"Hey, I'm right here with you, okay? I've got you, you're gonna be all right," said Danny. Steve didn't seem to react to that anyway.

"No. No... Danny. Where is he?" Steve's heavy breaths were the only thing interrupting the silence.

Danny sighed heavily. He was wondering what kind of hell has Steve been through this time. Once again. What did Mickey do to him to push him this far? Why did he keep asking for Danny when he is right in front of him?

"I'm here, I'm not going anywhere, buddy. Let's get you out of here, okay?" said Danny.

"Okay," Steve whispered, trying to get up.

Danny helped him to his feet and put Steve's arm around his neck to support him.

"It's all right Steve, I've got you, you're gonna be all right."

Steve made a few steps with Danny's help but his legs felt heavy, weaker with every single step. He was dizzy and everything was unclear. He couldn't stand anymore, he dropped his weight on Danny's shoulder, almost causing them to fall. Chin jumped in and caught him, putting his other arm over his neck and helping Danny to hold him and get him to the paramedics who just arrived.

"Hey, Steve!" Danny's voice echoed in his head.

"Stay with me, Steve!"

Every word felt distant, his eyelids were so heavy and his body just wanted to shut down.

"Come on, buddy!" he heard and Danny's voice faded into the distance until he couldn't hear anything but ringing in his head. He could see Danny's lips were moving but he couldn't hear a sound. He blinked several times, trying to keep his eyes opened but he couldn't. The floor swayed beneath him and everything seemed fuzzy. It all faded slowly before the darkness consumed him completely.

"What do we have?" asked one of the paramedics.

"Uh, I think he's been drugged, tortured and then buried under the ground for hours." Danny brushed his hair with his fingers, he didn't know what else to say.

The paramedics inserted an IV on Steve's hand and in just a couple of minutes they were ready to transport him to the nearest hospital. They informed the team they are taking him to Tripler, the army medical hospital.

Danny insisted on going with them, he refused to leave Steve for a second. The echo of sirens ringed in his ears on the way to the hospital. He watched his friend closely as the paramedics made sure his vitals are good and hoped, he will be all right.

In a few minutes, they stopped in front of the hospital where a group of doctors and nurses were waiting already, rushing Steve into one of the ER rooms. Danny closely followed them until one of the nurses stopped him.

"Sir, please you have to stay here, you can't go in there."

Danny watched the white coats with Steve disappear behind the door.

"I need to know how is he He's my friend."

"I understand, Sir, we'll let you know as soon as we know anything," said the nurse, closing the door in front of Danny.

He stood there, unable to move for a couple of seconds, just staring into the ER through the glass door. He tried to assure himself it will be fine, Steve was awake back there, talking before he passed out. Steve is s tough guy and Danny knew that he'll fight. Now the only thing he could do was wait and hope for some good news. He was wondering why Steve was so desperately looking for him when they found him. Danny was there all the time and yet Steve didn't notice. He could only wonder what happened to his friend today but he was sure it was hell.


	13. To Hell And Back

Danny waited fifteen minutes, twenty minutes. Still nothing. It didn't feel like minutes, it felt like hours. Long hours. After about half an hour Kono, Chin, Lou, and Jerry joined him. They saw what a mess Danny is and Kono approached him and hugged him.

"He'll be okay, Danny. Boss is a tough guy," she said.

He nodded slightly, unable to say anything. He couldn't stop thinking about what he could have done differently. If he listened to his gut, Steve wouldn't be in this situation.

It was another hour before a doctor came out of the ER. Danny jumped up from the chair as soon as he saw him.

The doctor looked around the room, he could feel how tense everyone was.

"Are you here with Commander McGarrett?"

"Yes, we are," answered Danny.

"I'm detective Williams Steve's friend and next of kin. You can say whatever you need in front of everyone here, we're all ohana. How is he?"

"Well his body was through a lot so he is still unconscious. He's got two cracked ribs so breathing will be painful for about a week or two. But I'm not concerned about this …"

"So there is something else you are concerned about?" Danny interrupted him.

"Uh, several things, actually. He's got a concussion due to several minor head injuries, it seems he was beaten up really badly. But there is something else."

Danny didn't like it at all. Wasn't this enough? What else has his friend been trough?

"What is it, doctor?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

"We ordered some blood tests too and we found very high doses of dangerous drugs in his system. One of them, GHB is particularly dangerous. Currently, we're seeing this more often than we'd like to, it's usually linked to assault crimes, as it makes the victims weak and sleepy or causes them to pass out so they can't defend themselves. And it's extremely easy to overdose on it which can lead to unconsciousness, coma or even death."

Danny's heart squeezed with that last sentence, especially the last word. He closed his eyes and tried to keep it together.

"Death?" he whispered.

"Given how much of it we found in Commander's body I'm actually surprised he is still alive."

Danny couldn't believe it. "He is our superSEAL, he'll get through it." He wasn't even sure if he's trying to convince the doctor or himself.

"May I continue?" asked the doctor.

"Yes, please."

"Except GHB there were other drugs present, like ketamine and benzodiazepines which is a dangerous combination. It causes confusion, muscle paralysis, panic attacks, slows down the brain and body, and decreases the concentration. Basically the mind loses touch with reality which makes a victim more vulnerable. Again, in this combination and high doses found in his body, it might be fatal."

Danny stood still, like a sculpture. He brushed his hair with his fingers, like all the time when he was scared. According to what the doctor said, it looked like Mickey wanted to eliminate any chance of Steve fighting back. Like he was afraid of him.

"Another major concern is hypercapnia. It means there is too much carbon dioxide in his bloodstream. It happens as a result of hypoventilation or not being able to breathe properly and get oxygen into the lungs." The doctor continued, noticing Danny's facial expression. He seemed like he wanted to say something about this.

"He... Um... He was buried underground and we don't know for how long."

The doctor's eyes widened and mouth opened slightly.

"That's terrible. But it explains the situation. This isn't usually a cause for concern but in Commander's case this can pose a threat and it might cause his respiratory system to shut down completely. We'll have to intubate him to help him breathe enough oxygen to balance the carbon dioxide levels."

Danny's face became more and more serious with every single sentence. His best friend's body was basically shutting down.

"There is one more thing I'm concerned about."

"What? Really? What is it?" Danny's voice was broken but angry, he wasn't aware of how bad was it when he found Steve. His body was full of dangerous drugs, his respiratory system was about to shut down, he was already fighting for his life. And now the doctors say there is something else. How much can a man take? Even SEAL like Steve. His mind was strong but what if his body can't keep up?

"I believe you said Commander McGarrett has been tortured, is that right?"

Danny nodded slightly.

"It explains water in his lungs then. Have you heard about waterboarding, detective?"

"Uh, no… sorry, what exactly does that mean?"

The doctor looked down, slightly uncomfortable about explaining such a thing to loved ones of their patient. He took a breath before he continued.

"It's a form of torture in which water is poured over a cloth covering the face and breathing passages of an immobilized captive, causing the person to experience drowning. It can cause extreme pain, damage to lungs and brain damage from oxygen deprivation, not to speak about lasting psychological damage. As I said, this explains water in Commander's lungs. The problem is, that water in the lungs, especially if it's dirty, can cause potentially deadly pneumonia or pleuritis. It's basically inflammation of the lungs. He doesn't have the symptoms just now but we need to monitor him closely as they can develop over 24 to 48 hours."

Danny heard enough. He was speechless, the doctor painted a very clear picture of what Steve's been through and he couldn't even imagine it. How can someone go through such a hell and not break? He knew it was not the first time Steve's been tortured. He's been through this before and Danny didn't know how many times given his classified missions before they even met. That made it even worse. And this time, guilt flooded him, because he realized he could have prevented it. He should have stayed with Steve, no matter what his stubborn friend thought.

"Do you… Um… Do you think he…"

"I can't promise anything, detective. It's too early to tell if he is going to be okay. I'll update you as soon as I know something. I promise."

"Can I see him?"

"Not just yet but it won't take long before we'll settle him in ICU. I'll give you a shot when he'll be ready."

"Thank you, doctor," said Danny. He was so worried about his friend right now that his heart felt like it was about to explode. He closed his eyes, trying to chase the negative thoughts away, but he couldn't. He tried to persuade himself Steve is okay. He is alive, he was breathing, talking when they found him. All he needs is some rest. But it didn't work. There was this dark, heavy question in the air. _'What if…?'_

He slid back to his chair, unable to speak. No one else dared to speak either. It was bad. Much worse than they thought, actually. All of them were worried about their friend but they all knew Danny was losing it and they couldn't blame him. They were more than friends, more than brothers. Without even realizing it, they needed each other. Their friendship was very special. Their opinions were usually the total opposite but that's what made them complement each other so well. They would go through hell and back for each other. But this time, there was nothing Danny could do to help his soul brother. He couldn't even imagine losing him.


	14. Decisions

_**Hello :) **_

_**So here is another hospital chapter and I'd like to say that I do some research on the topic but I don't dig too deep nor do I have any medical background so some things might not be accurate. But the surgery part is exaggerated on purpose, I wanted to mix things up a bit more. I'm aware it won't exactly work like this and that it takes weeks to prepare for this kind of surgery but it was good for the purpose of the story.**_

_**I hope you enjoy the story so far, it's still not over. More chapters coming.**_

_**Thanks for reading!**_

* * *

Danny waited for another hour before he heard the familiar voice of Steve's doctor.

"Detective Williams? You can now see Commander McGarrett."

He stood up and rushed to the doctor who led him to his partner's room. He took a deep breath and opened the door. His friend was still asleep, motionless, with a tube in his open mouth. Steve's skin was very pale, lined with yellow and purple bruises. The crown of his head and his left temple were patched up. The oximeter was hooked to his left index finger and an IV on top of his right hand. Danny closed the door behind him and approached Steve's bed. He sighed heavily as he sat to the chair next to it.

"Hey, buddy," he whispered, knowing he can't hear him.

He watched Steve quietly, hoping his friend's eyes will open. That this superSEAL will wake up, smile and say he's all right. But he didn't. Hours past since Danny entered his room, he was trying not to fall asleep. He wanted to be there for his friend when he wakes up. He wanted to say how sorry he was for letting this happen to him. With every hour his anxiety was growing, hoping for Steve to wake up soon. He'll be all right, he has to be, Danny needed him to be all right. He closed his eyes, just for a second and when he opened them again, he could see the morning sun coming into the room. He was angry at himself for falling asleep but it seemed his friend was at the same position as before, he didn't move an inch. Why won't he wake up? It's been long already and Danny was worried. He remembered what the doctor told him about the drugs in his system and he was scared that his friend's body won't be able to take it.

He refused to leave this place until he knows Steve's okay. Hours and hours past and the only time Danny left was when the doctors were checking on Steve. He used this time to go to the restroom and to buy some coffee from the machine. He couldn't eat, even if he wanted to. Fear of losing his friend was stronger than anything else.

He was just on the way back to Steve's room when he saw the doctor leaving from there.

"How is he? Is everything all right?" he asked. The doctor's serious face told him something is wrong.

"We need to talk."

"Is it bad?" he asked quietly.

"Commander McGarrett's lungs are damaged and unfortunately it's getting worse. He needs surgery. But we need to talk about the options."

Danny looked at him in confusion. "What options?"

"As you know, we have intubated him to assist him with breathing but the hypercapnia symptoms are worsening. It's started to cause the arrhythmia of his heart. We're monitoring it and for now, it's not a threat but it could be if it continues getting worse. He should also be awake by now as all drugs are almost out of his system, but he won't wake up."

"Okay, so what surgery does he need?"

Detective Williams, I'm going to be honest with you. Options are very limited and risky. The first option is lung volume reduction surgery. We can remove damaged lung tissue and reduce the size of his damaged right lung, which would allow the growth of the left, more functional lung. However, there is a problem. The patient should undergo extensive evaluation and preparation to minimize the risks and if it shows up the patient is able to undergo this surgery, he would need to complete a preoperative pulmonary rehabilitation program which takes six to ten weeks," he continued and Danny listened carefully.

"The thing is, he might not have that long. His respiratory system can shut down anytime. However, if we do this without the right preparation, there is a significantly higher risk of already risky surgery. With the screening and the rehabilitation, there is about seventy-eight percent chance he would make it. Without it, it will not be that optimistic."

Danny didn't like what he just heard. He could barely breathe as he listened to the doctor.

"The second option is a lung transplant. There are actually two problems with this surgery.

The first problem is the high number of risks. The major risk is organ rejection. The one-year survival rate is about eighty percent, the five-year survival rate is about fifty percent. Which means his body could reject the lungs even months or years after surgery. The second problem would be to find a suitable donor as there are much fewer donors than necessary. But unless we do something, it will keep worsening until his respiratory system shuts down and he'll die. Even if he won't there is a high chance of him of falling into a coma and there is no telling whether he will be able to wake up."

"So you're telling me, that it doesn't matter which option we go for, there is no guarantee, that he will survive it… But if we don't do anything, he's gonna die?" It took him a long time to get those words out, they felt too real once said out loud. He closed his eyes and tried to hold the tears pushing out.

"I'm sorry, detective. That's exactly what I mean."

How can he decide about something like this? How can he decide about the life of his best friend? His brother?

"Uh… I… Uh…," he was trying to find the words but couldn't.

"Detective, I hope you understand that as Commander's next of kin this choice is up to you unless he wakes up soon so he can decide himself. I'm really sorry. I know it's a burden."

Danny understood very well. He would without hesitation offer himself to donate another organ to his friend. After all, it was not the first time. However, the lung donation is from a deceased donor and he knew that. He couldn't help him.

"So do you think out best shot is this lung volume… something?"

"LVRS, lung volume reduction surgery. Yes, I'd say so. But please understand, there is quite a high mortality rate linked to this surgery and your partner might not have time to undergo all the screening processes to reduce the risk. If you decide to wait, he might or might not make it to the surgery but even if he did, there would still be high risk."

Those words struck Danny like lightning, he didn't know what to say. His brother's body was slowly shutting down. He was slipping away and it was up to Danny to decide which approach to try. He hated it. It was like a game of poker, but instead of money, Steve will either win or lose his life. Pure gambling. Gambling with his brother's life. He was speechless, staring into the white wall.

"Detective?" The doctor ripped him out of his thoughts.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"No. I mean, yeah… I… I don't… I don't know."

"Well, let me know when you decide, detective but better hurry up."

"Wait, I mean," Danny was still looking for the right words. "I mean, do it. I just can't bear the thought of such gambling with his life."

"I understand, detective." The doctor placed a hand on Danny's shoulder, quietly reassuring him it's the right decision.

"At least we tried, right?" asked Danny. That question was more for himself than the doctor. He needed to feel he did something, he can't just wait and let his best friend slip away like this. This was his best chance.

"Right."

Danny returned to Steve's room. He was asleep. Tears pushed into Danny's eyes as he saw him, thinking about what he just discussed with the doctor. He needed his friend to wake up desperately.

"Wake up, buddy. I need you here," he said softly as he sat to the chair next to the bed. But nothing happened.


	15. Who Are You?

"Danno?" It was this sweet voice of his teen daughter that ripped him off his dark thoughts this time.

"Hey, monkey!"

She gave him a long hug.

"Mom and Charlie will be here in a minute. We brought you some clothes and such stuff."

"Thanks, Gracie. It's nice of you all."

"How is uncle Steve?" she asked. Danny wasn't sure how to tell her the truth without making her worried even more.

"Uh… He is in the surgery now, it can take a couple of hours," he said.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked, her gaze fixed into Danny's face. She realized how tired and messed up her father is. She loved uncle Steve. So did Danno and he was scared. She could see it.

"And are you okay?" she added.

"I don't know yet, monkey. But uncle Steve is a tough guy, right? I know he'll fight with all his strength," he said as he leaned his arm on her shoulders and pulled her closer for another hug.

"Danno are you okay?" she repeated.

"Yeah, don't worry about me, okay? I'm fine, just a little tired," he forced a short smile. Grace knew it wasn't real. She was now old enough to understand that the situation is not great and not only uncle Steve needed her support right now. Danno needed it too.

"I love you, Danno," she said.

"I love you too, monkey."

Danny's eyes met with Rachel's as she walked toward them, holding Charlie's hand.

"Danno!" screamed Charlie in the excitement of seeing his dad and ran to his arms.

"Hey, little guy!" Danny lifted him up and hugged him, then put him back down.

Danny looked at Rachel, he didn't know what to say.

"Uh… Thanks for taking them instead of me this weekend and bringing them here for a while,"

Rachel approached him and hugged him. She didn't like to see him in such a state. She knew how much he cared for Steve.

"Of course," she said. "How is he?"

"He's in the surgery now, it's been a few hours already. I don' t know anything." His eyes were red from lack of sleep.

"Danny, you should get some sleep," said Rachel, her voice worried.

Danny shook his head. How could he sleep?

"Okay, at least eat something, please," she said.

"Okay," he agreed after a while. He was starving, yet his stomach felt like he couldn't fit anything in it.

"Danno I made a tasty salad just for you," said Grace.

"That's really nice, Grace, thank you," he smiled. He was happy that they are there, he needed it.

"Danno, is uncle Steve going to be all right?" little Charlie asked.

"He's trying to get better as soon as possible." Danny couldn't tell the little guy that his uncle Steve is fighting for his life, that he didn't wake up since they brought him in, that he might not wake up at all.

"He is a superhero, they always win." Charlie's innocent voice interrupted his thoughts. He wished Charlie was right.

"Did you get the bad guy?" he asked, looking at his dad.

"Sure we did!" That reminded him that he wanted to call others to check what's new about the case. He just forgot. He didn't want to think about Mickey, he hated him so much right now. Danny knew that if Steve won't make it, he won't be able to control himself once he comes close to him.

He watched his kids as he forced some food into him. He knew how much they loved Steve and it would break his heart if something happened to him, as much as Danny's.

* * *

Another hour has passed, still no word from the doctor. Danny decided to call headquarters finally. This was the first time he actually spoke to his team members since that evening. He kept them updated of course, but he only texted them. He didn't want to talk.

"Hey, Danny," it was Kono. "How are you doing? How is the boss? Did he wake up yet?"

"Hey, uh… He didn't. He's still in the surgery I've told you about. I've been better and I think the same goes for Steve. But I just wanted to ask how it's going with the case. Do we have enough evidence on him? Or did he bleed out in the cell?"

A moment of quiet on the other side of the phone gave Danny a hint something is not right.

"Kono? What is it?"

"I'm sorry Danny, we didn't know how to tell you," she said with guilt in her voice.

"Tell me what?"

"He, uh… he got away…" she whispered.

"HE DID WHAT?!" yelled Danny.

He didn't expect that. How the hell could he get out of the building full of cops? They've got cameras in the whole building, he was locked up in the room, bleeding from two shots from Danny's gun and he was cuffed to the chair. The rage flooded him with the thought that the son of a bitch won't be punished. Or even worse, what if he comes back for Steve?

"How? When?" he asked.

"We think someone from inside helped him. Someone turned off the security cameras. He must have disappeared while we were looking for Steve," said Kono. "We're looking for him ever since. We will find him, Danny."

They better will. He was sad, angry. They got played by him once again and he couldn't stand it. With every cell in his body, he hated that guy for what he did.

"We thought about asking Duke to send some of the guys to the hospital to stay with Steve, just in case you know, but…," she didn't finish the sentence as Danny interrupted her.

"But if one of ours helped him get out, he can help him to get to Steve as well. I know. I appreciate you didn't do it. I'm here, and I will stay with him. Once he will be done with the surgery I won't leave him out of my sight."

"If you need anything, let me know, okay? And keep us updated, please," said Kono.

"Thanks, I will."

* * *

Another two hours past, Rachel with kids left meanwhile, leaving him alone with his thoughts. When he noticed a white coat coming toward him, he jumped up.

"I've got good news, detective. There were no complications and he's stable for now." These were the first good words Danny heard in the past couple of days.

"He needs to rest but if you promise not to disturb him I'll let you be with him," said the doctor.

"I want to see him, I won't leave him alone for a second," said Danny and noticed doctor's confused face.

"It's not like you left his room much so far anyway. Is something wrong?"

"Yeah, something is very wrong. You see, the man who did this to him escaped and is out there again. He probably figured out we found Steve so I don't know what his next step might be. He might want to come over and finish the job, I won't let that happen," he explained.

"Shouldn't you get some police officers here to guard the door in this case?"

"Someone helped Rogers to get away. I don't trust anyone," said Danny, closing down this topic.

"So is he going to be all right?" he asked.

"We can't say just yet, detective. He survived the surgery but there are cases known when the complications began days or even months later. What I know for sure is, that even if he wakes up and there won't be any other complications, he has to stay here for at least another week so we can monitor him. And there is a mandatory respiratory rehabilitation which takes about 6 weeks. It's essential to help with proper breathing. But it could take months to fully recover from the surgery."

It wasn't ideal but it was better than nothing. Maybe his friend will wake up soon. He hoped for it.

"Thank you, doctor."

* * *

He walked into Steve's room and sat down beside his bed, watching his still body and listening to regular beeps on the monitors. He lost track of time after several hours of waiting for his friend to wake up. His eyelids were heavy as he struggled to fight the exhaustion. He didn't know how long he has been sitting there anymore, waiting. Until he fell asleep in the uncomfortable chair once again. When he woke up, Steve was still asleep. He sighed, disappointed.

Then a sudden noise got his attention. In a second his eyes were wide opened and he jumped out of the chair when he realized Steve's awake, trying to tear down all the cables attached to him. Danny sat on the side of the bed, trying to stop him and calm him down. He threw his arms around his friend and tried to make him lay down again.

"Steve, stop! You're all right, you're all right! It's over now, you're safe."

Steve heard the voice of a man speaking to him but it felt distant like he was in a trance. He could hear the soft voice telling him that everything is all right but he couldn't slow down his breathing. His chest felt like someone stabbed a knife in it and his heart was pounding against his ribs like it tried to get out of his body. His breaths came in gasps and he felt like he was about to pass out again. Something was attached to his hands, restraining his free movement and he didn't like it, he wanted to get rid of it.

Steve resisted and kept trying to get out of Danny's grip but Danny didn't let go. He needed to calm down his friend.

"Steve, buddy, it's me… It's Danny, you're all right," he repeated, reassuring Steve.

He could see the panic in Steve's eyes, he felt how fast is Steve's heart beating. Danny could feel his fear and pain. He kept talking to him, trying to calm him down.

"It's all right, babe. It's over."

The door opened and the doctor came in and ran toward his patient as he realized what's going on.

"Commander, you need to calm down, you need to breathe!"

Danny looked at the doctor with fear in his eyes and then back to Steve, who was gasping for air.

"Steve. Babe, you heard the doctor? Breathe. You're all right."

It took several minutes but Steve stopped resisting gradually. Danny, still holding his friend, could feel his heart rate slowed down and his breathing too. With doctor's help, he managed to lay him down.

"That's it, Steve. You're all right, I'm right here," he reassured him again.

Steve's breathing slowed down but he could still feel a sharp pain in his chest with every single breath. He was staring into the ceiling and the bright light made him squint his eyes. It reminded him something, somewhere, he couldn't remember what. Two men next to him seemed worried but he could see the relief on their faces once he laid down.

"Where… Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in the hospital," Danny explained.

Why was he in the hospital? What happened? Steve looked at Danny in confusion.

"And who are you?"

* * *

**_Okay, so I thought it's about time to wake Steve up after three chapters but... Where is the fun in that? Right? :D I wanted to make this more interesting. _**


	16. Amnesia

"And who are you?"

That was a question Danny didn't expect. What is going on? When they found Steve a couple of days ago, the only thing he asked for was Danny. And now, when he is finally awake, he is asking him who is he. It hurt that his best friend doesn't remember him. But at least he was alive and awake, right? He tried to convince himself it's going to be fine.

"Uh… I'm… I'm Danny," he said, trying to hide his concern for Steve. He still couldn't believe it. It hurt him to see Steve like this.

"Danny?" asked Steve with confusion in his voice. He tried to remember that name but nothing came to mind.

"Yeah, we're colleagues and friends."

"Colleagues? Are you…," Steve was trying to speak but he wasn't able to breathe properly. The pain in his chest came back and he felt like he couldn't take a breath.

Danny noticed the panic in his eyes, he instantly put his hand on Steve's back to comfort him.

"Breathe, Steve. Breathe. It's all right."

Steve managed to inhale again, he closed his eyes for a moment and focused on breathing despite the pain. His breaths were shallow but at least he could breathe now.

"That's it, buddy." Danny kept his hand on Steve's back and tried to hide the concern in his voice.

"Are you a sailor?" asked Steve after a while.

Sailor? What is Steve talking about?

"No, uh… Five-0, actually. You're the head of Five-0, remember?"

Steve frowned, he was fishing in his memory but didn't understand what Danny is talking about.

"Never heard of it."

"It's a special task force, uh...," Danny was looking for the words. "You created a team with governor's support when you came back to Hawaii, seven years ago."

His friend looked shocked.

"Hawaii? Did I… Did I came back home?"

It was painful to watch for Danny. Steve obviously thought he never came back to Hawaii, he thought he's still with Navy and never created the Five-0 task, that he never met Danny." Danny nodded slightly, then the doctor stepped in.

Commander McGarrett, you should get some rest. Your body has been through a lot and you should remain calm now. Try to get some sleep, I'm sure detective Williams will explain everything when you wake up."

Detective? What is going on here? Steve's eyelids were heavy, he felt exhausted but didn't want to sleep, he wanted to understand what is going on, why his whole body is on fire, what happened. Why is this man telling him that he returned home years ago? He didn't recognize him yet his voice felt so soothing, he felt like he can trust him. He looked at Danny, ignoring the doctor's advice. He was looking for some kind of reaffirmation.

"It's all right buddy, get some rest. I'm not going anywhere, okay?" said Danny softly. It seemed like it helped Steve to relax a little bit, even though he didn't remember him.

The doctor showed Danny that he will wait for him outside.

"Steve. Buddy, it's all right, get some rest. I'll be right back, promise. If you need anything, just shout, I'll be right behind the door, okay?"

Steve nodded, still confused but there was something about this man's voice that comforted him.

Danny closed the door behind him and turned to the doctor.

"Why doesn't he remember anything, doctor?" he asked

"Commander McGarrett suffered concussion which can be a cause of his amnesia and concentration problems. His memory might be also affected by the high amount of ketamine and benzodiazepine in his system. Both of them can affect memory as a side effect if taken often or in large amounts. As I said before, with the amount we found in his body, he is lucky to be alive."

"Will he remember eventually?" asked Danny. It was hard to imagine Steve not knowing anything about the past years of their friendship.

"I don't know, detective. The best thing you can do for him is to talk to him. Try to remind him of some places, people, experiences. But for now, I would avoid any traumatic topics, don't push him too hard."

Danny sighed.

"I've got some good news too. We got his results and so far it looks like there are no complications related to the surgery and the oxygen levels are finally on point. He doesn't show any symptoms of pneumonia either, which is good. He might have difficulty to breathe for a couple of days, however. If that happens, try to calm him down and make him breathe slowly and call the nurse immediately."

Danny was glad to hear his friend has got out of the worst for now. The danger was not gone just yet but it finally looked like he might recover. However, he was worried about Steve's mental state now more than ever. He saw him this confused and panicked only once before when Wo Fat kidnapped and tortured him for answers he didn't have. Back then Steve thought his father is still alive when they found him. But he got through it. He never wanted to talk about what exactly happened there and Danny didn't push him. He was just there for his best friend. And that's exactly what he needs to do now. Just be there for him and hope he will remember eventually.

He needed a moment to process all this, to get a moment alone before returning to his friend. He leaned his back against the wall, closed his eyes and sighed. The moment when he found Steve came back to him, the vision of his best friend laying still in a puddle of blood, not knowing whether he is still alive. The only think Steve repeated was Danny's name, he wanted him to be there, to help him. At that moment Danny could only try to reassure Steve that he is all right, he knew he wasn't all right at all. He's been drugged, tortured, almost killed and then had to fight for his life for several days. He is scared, fighting panic attacks which makes his recovery worse and slower. He is in pain, still not out of danger and he doesn't remember anything. Mickey is still free when he is supposed to be miserable behind the bars in a cold cell. Nothing was all right.

When he returned to Steve's room, he was asleep again. Danny could see how much he was fighting to stay awake before,he needs time. He sat down to the chair again trying to chase away all the bad thoughts he had. He swore to himself, that as soon as Steve is out of here, he will find Mickey who will wish he never did what he did.

He noticed Steve's eyes opening. This time it seems he is waking up more calmly, his breathing was less shallow.

"Hey," he said softly.

Steve could barely recognize the shapes around him, his vision was blurry. He tried to suppress the pain in his chest and breathe in and out, and again. Why was breathing so hard? For a second he forgot where he is, then he remembered he's in the hospital. But why? For how long? Where is this man who said he is his friend? He turned his head to the side slowly. There he is, sitting beside him with this worried look on his tired face. What was his name again? Danny? Yes, it was definitely Danny.

"How long have I been out?" he asked.

"Three days," answered Danny.

Three days? That's a long time. Steve tried to remember where was he the last time he remembers. It was a mission. In North Korea, if he remembers right. It was a bit fuzzy. But why did Danny tell him he came home seven years ago?

"Do you know what happened? How did I get here?" he asked.

Danny looked to the ground, he didn't know how to explain it and the doctor said to avoid such topics for now. He decided to tell him the truth anyway, but leave the details out.

"I do. Uh… You know, this Five-0 task force I told you about earlier. We worked on a case, you've been captured but we found you and now you're here." It almost felt like talking to his son Charlie, when they talk about his superhero uncle Steve and the bad guys.

"Why don't I remember this? And you?"

"The doctor said you suffered a concussion so it might take some time to get back on track."

That would explain why his head was about to explode too. He hated hospitals, he didn't want to spend any extra second there than necessary.

"When can I leave?" he asked, not surprising Danny at all with such a question.

Danny smiled for a second. The first real smile in days, actually. This was Steve he knew, trying to get the hell out of the hospital as fast and as far as possible.

"I've expected you to ask this, buddy," he said. "You have to stay here for a couple of days, actually due to the surgery you had yesterday."

The surgery? Was it that bad? The thought of several days spent on the hospital bed didn't please him.

"You… Uh… You had lung surgery, but it went well and the doctor says it's getting better, but they want you to stay, just in case," Danny assured his friend, leaving out the details again. He didn't tell him how risky the surgery was, he didn't tell him that it can still go south after days, weeks or months after the surgery, he didn't tell him that they almost lost him. Not yet.

Steve had a lot of questions and it was hard to choose which one he wants to be answered first. But this guy, Danny, seemed determined to answer every single one of them. And his soothing voice made him feel a little better for an unknown reason.

"You were here when I woke up," he said, looking into Danny's red eyes.

Danny nodded slightly.

"I wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm here the whole time."

Steve didn't understand. How can he not remember a man who spent four days in a hospital just to make sure he was okay?

"I'm sorry, Danny. That I don't remember," he said with guilt in his voice.

"You don't worry about that, okay? You'll remember. I'll help you."

Steve could see it in Danny's eyes. He meant it. He might not remember much but he knew that he wasn't alone, despite being used to it.

"Danny, I'd like to be alone for a while if you don't mind," he said. He wanted to think for a while and maybe fall asleep again. He was too tired to ask any more questions.

"Okay, try and get some sleep. I'll be outside, not too far. I'll come back later, okay?" He knew Steve needed to rest and it was too much information at the time to process. But being awake without a panic attack and talking was a good sign. He left the room and let his friend rest.


	17. Painful Memories

_It was September 2010 when Steve got called into the briefing room in the Iraqi green zone. Three men, including Joe White, were waiting for him already. They exchanged pleasantries and Joe turned around a laptop so Steve can have a look. _

_"Do you recognize them, Commander?" he asked._

_Steve knew who those men on the screen were. The Hesse brothers. Victor and Anton. International arms dealers. As Steve got informed, one of the brothers, Anton was about to finalize the major arms deal with a Far East terrorist group in their training compound in North Korea._

_"Okay. So that's why I'm here," said Steve, understanding he was about to go to a mission. He was okay with that. It was his job._

_"But bear this in mind. This mission does not exist. If you're killed or captured, you're on your own." The Vice-Admiral explained to him._

_"Yes, Sir."_

_"That means no rescue attempt, no negotiations, not even an acknowledgment of your service." The CIA agent joined the conversation to clarify it. _

_"I understand." He did. It was a secret mission and this was something he had to risk._

_"Steve, we do not send you there alone. Pick a team member to go with you. Someone with extensive operational background," said Joe._

_"I know just someone." Steve smiled and he immediately knew who was he going to pick. His best friend, Freddie Hart._

* * *

Danny sat in the chair in Steve's room when he noticed his friend is moving. He looked at him but his eyes were not opened. Steve started to breathe faster for a few seconds, then his breathing returned back to normal. He seemed to be asleep.

* * *

_"I got married this weekend," said Freddie._

_"No, you didn't." Steve couldn't believe it. _

_"We couldn't live without each other," said his friend._

_"But last week you hated each other," laughed Steve._

_"That was before we found out we're having a baby. It's a girl," said Freddie with a big smile on his face._

_"This just keeps getting better and better." Steve was happy for him. He knew it's been everything Freddie wanted, to be a father. And now he can._

* * *

Steve's body jerked again. Danny looked at him. Is he dreaming? Or having a nightmare? He let him sleep, watching him closely, just in case something was wrong.

* * *

_They were hiding behind a log, looking for Anton Hesse._

_"Eyes on the package," said Freddie when he noticed him._

_"Let's move," said Steve._

_They waited for their target to separate from the group, carrying two bags in his hands. Steve surprised him with a punch right from the front, while Freddie approached him from the bag and threw a bag over his head and secured his wrists behind the back._

_"Package is secure."_

_They sneaked behind the van, dragging their captive behind._

_"Americans! Americans!" shouted Hesse._

_They've been compromised. The bullets started to fly above their heads. Freddie returned the fire so they could take a cover behind a truck._

_"Moving!" shouted Steve._

_Both of them run toward another truck. They were outnumbered and under heavy fire. They needed to move to a better position, they were not safe there._

_"Go, go! Moving" shouted Steve again as they moved and returned the fire. _

_They crouched behind one of the trucks, Steve was still holding Hesse. They weren't about to give up on the mission's goal. They needed him alive._

_"Ahh…" Freddie dropped to the ground as one of the bullets has hit his right shoulder._

_"Freddie! You okay?"_

_"I'm good," he said. "I'm fine, keep moving!" _

_Freddie kept firing at their enemies while Steve pushed Hesse in front of him, moving another few meters to take a cover behind a few barrels. While under hostile fire, he saw Freddie drop to the ground as he took another bullet. Steve covered his friend to give him time to crawl behind the barrels and kept firing, fighting their way out of here._

_"Get the package out of here, I got your six," said Freddie, holding his hand on his abdomen._

_"What are you talking about? Get off your ass. We're moving. Let's go!" shouted Steve as he tried to move his partner but Freddie refused to cooperate._

_"Do the job," said Freddie._

_"Let's go!" Steve grabbed Freddie and tried to lift him up. He refused to leave him here._

_"Now! Do the job!" Freddie didn't stand up, he refused to move._

_"My job is not leaving anybody behind!"_

_"You won't. Look at me, hoss.," said Freddie as he pulled his hand away from his abdomen and revealed a bad wound, bleeding out fast. "I'm not going anywhere. Don't let this be for nothing." _

_Steve looked at him and in that second he knew there is no way Freddie would survive this. He couldn't continue like this. They were under heavy fire, outnumbered and they had a captive who slowed them down. In that second he knew, Freddie is right. If he stays, they're both gonna die for nothing. _

_"Steven, I need you to do something for me," said Freddie, looking into his brother's eyes._

_"No, no, no, no no!"_

_"No, listen to me!" yelled Freddie._

_"What are you talking about, man?" Steve's voice was broken. He couldn't believe the fact that his brother won't make it._

_"Listen to me. One day, tell my daughter… You tell my little girl that daddy loved her. Promise me," said Freddie._

_Steve closed his eyes. He still couldn't believe it. He wanted to tell Freddie that he can tell his daughter himself, but he knew it would be a lie._

_"Promise me!" Freddie yelled this time, reminding Steve that he is serious._

_"I promise! All right, I promise," said Steve as tears pushed into his eyes. _

_"Now go. Hooyah, brother," said Freddie as he looked down at his wound._

_Steve stood up and ran to the nearby vehicle and threw Hesse into it, while Freddie laid down suppression fire. He turned around, looked at his friend again. _

_"I said get the hell out of here, you stupid son of a bitch!" yelled Freddie. _

_But Steve couldn't move for another couple of seconds. The thought of leaving his friend like that broke his heart. He saw several bullets hit Freddie until he passed out. Then he drove away, heartbroken and crushed._

* * *

Steve's heart was pounding in his chest like crazy. The flashes of hot and cold flooded him as sweat trickled down his back and beaded on his forehead. He couldn't breathe properly as his chest felt more and more squeezed with every breath he took. His breaths became rapid and shallow. Danny noticed Steve's breathing changed suddenly. He heard that Steve was trying to say something, with his eyes still closed. A nightmare? He wouldn't be surprised. Steve mumbled something again, just one word. It was very unclear and quiet at first but he kept repeating it until Danny realized what the word was.

"Freddie. Freddie…Freddie!" Steve repeated, this time louder, with fear in his voice. Danny knew who Freddie was. He was like a brother to Steve before he even met Danny. His SEAL brother who died years ago in a secret two-man mission. That's all Steve told him about that day, but it was enough.

"Steve?"

Danny straightened himself in a fraction of second and jumped up to help his friend. He realized his partner is panicking again.

"Steve, you're all right."

Steve wide open his eyes, unable to see clearly. He started to gasp for air, unable to breathe and then it hit him like a lightning. He remembered this feeling. Feeling of not being able to breathe as his lungs slowly filled with water. He remembered the restraints preventing him from moving. He remembered the feeling of not being able to stop the extreme pain, the burning in his brain. It all came back suddenly. The darkness and weakness that followed when it finally stopped. Just for a short time, enough for him not to pass out, before it started all over again. The fear, the desperation to get out of that hell. He remembered all of it. He tried to sit down and breathe but he couldn't, his chest felt crushed.

"I… can't… breathe," he managed to say in a panic.

Danny ran toward the door. He opened it and looked around, looking for some staff.

"Hey, I need help here!" he shouted to one of the nurses and she ran toward him.

"He says he can't breathe! Why is that, huh?" he asked with panic in his eyes.

Danny turned around and saw Steve is ripping the tubes out of his hands, trying to stand up. He approached him, sat next to him and threw the arm over his friend's shoulders to keep him down.

"He needs to calm down," the nurse shouted. "He can't breathe because of the panic attack. It's already harder for him to breathe even when he is calm."

Steve wanted to stand up, to leave but someone was holding him, preventing him to move freely, desperately trying to push him back down. Without thinking he punched him into the face. He stood up, ready to fight. The man ended up lying on the ground, but he stood up quickly. Steve got ready to attack him again but the man didn't return the punch, he didn't dodge, he only stood there with his arms straight in front of him, when Steve heard his voice.

"It's Danny. Steve. You're all right, buddy."

He refocused on his face and froze. It was just Danny. He didn't want to fight, he tried to help him. Steve's breaths were rapid and shallow as he stood there, slowly realizing where he is.

"Come on, Steve… Breathe. One deep breath and then exhale on four." That was something Steve taught him to handle his fears.

He liked Danny's soothing voice, he tried and inhaled slowly, finally getting some air in and then slowly exhaled. He repeated it several times before his breathing came back to normal. Danny's face was freaked out as he approached him and slowly grabbed his shoulders while looking him into eyes, gently pushing him back to the bed.

"It's over, Steve! You're all right. I'm here, babe."

Steve stopped suddenly, just before Danny was about to help him sit to the bed. He squinted his eyes and looked into Danny's worried face.

"Danno?"

Danny's face changed from worried to surprised immediately and a small genuine smile played on his lips. Did he just call him Danno? His eyes locked with Steve's.

"Yeah, babe. It's me. You remember me?"

Steve recognized him. He remembered his best friend who has always been there for him and he is here now. He felt ashamed that he didn't remember him before.

"Yeah. Yeah… Sorry, Danno."

A big smile was now stretched across Danny's face.

"Are you kidding me? Come here, give me a hug," he said as he threw his arms over his friend and hugged him. Steve remembers him finally. But at the same time, it meant he remembered everything that happened, and he couldn't imagine how hard it must be for him.

"You're all right? Can you breathe again?"

"Yeah." It was the only answer Steve could get out of him now as all the memories flooded him again. He needed a moment to take it all in.

"It's good to have you back, buddy."


	18. It's Not Secure Here

**_Five Days Later_**

"Hey, Steve. How do you feel? Ready to go home?"

Steve's body was still sore but he could finally breathe normally. He was fed up with this place and couldn't wait to get the hell out of there. He tried to send Danny home before several times, but he never left for more than an hour, still staying around. He refused to leave until Steve was released.

"Yeah, I'm good. Let's go."

Danny stopped at the door of the room where he spent last week with his friend and turned around, looking at Steve.

"I hope you understand I'm crashing at your couch, right? Until we get Rodgers," he said.

"Danny…"

"No, no… I'm not asking you. I'll stay." Danny refused to back off this time.

"You should get some sleep, buddy. You look terrible," said Steve, trying to lighten up the situation.

"Uh, thanks. That's because you're a trouble magnet," said Danny. "I can sleep on the couch as well."

"So now it's my fault?" asked Steve, ready to bicker again. He missed their bickering and thought it might make his friend feel better if he tried to joke about something.

But instead, Danny's smile disappeared from his face and a serious face replaced it. He looked down, then back at Steve.

"Danny? You okay?"

"Yeah, it's just…"

"What is it, Danny?"

"Uh... I don't think any of this is your fault. Not this time. I shouldn't have said that. In fact, it's my fault and… I'm sorry." Danny wanted to get those words for a week now. He needed that.

"What are you talking about, Danny?" Steve looked surprised. Why would Danny blame himself?

"Steve, I should have known. I should be there, but I wasn't," said Danny, ashamed.

"Listen to me, Danno." Steve approached Danny, grabbed him by the shoulders and made him look him into his eyes.

"Listen to me. What happened was none of your fault, okay? You saved my ass. Again. Thank you for that, I mean it."

"All right," whispered Danny.

"All right, let's go."

* * *

Danny was standing on the lanai, looking at the beach. Steve sat there almost still for hours now. He just watched the sea and refused to eat or to do something else. He didn't speak for hours and Danny felt helpless. He knew he will need time to fix his broken friend. He was determined to be there for him, no matter how long that's going to take. Steve saved his life several times in different ways, even more than he thought. He gave him more than a job, he gave him a family. He was a better person because of him. Steve was like his brother and you just can't give up on family. He sighed and walked to the beach where his friend watched the sunset behind the horizon.

"It's beautiful," he said. "One of those few good things in Hawaii." He faked a smile as he looked at his friend. Steve didn't answer, he didn't even blink.

"Steve? You all right, buddy?" Nothing. Quiet was the only answer.

"Steve? Steve." Danny tried to hide the concern in his voice. He knew Steve well enough to have an idea of what's going on in his head. His body was here, sitting on the beach but he was somewhere else. Lost in deep thoughts.

"Huh? Hey," said Steve and jerked slightly, surprised.

"Are you all right?"

"Uh, a little headache and my chest is still sore, but I'll be fine," he said. That was a lie. His head was pounding and he didn't feel good at all. But Steve knew that Danny knows the truth.

"That's not what I meant," said Danny softly.

"I know what you meant." Steve's cold answer just proved Danny that he is right. Steve is far from being all right and he couldn't blame him.

"Okay. Steve listen to me. If you don't want to talk about it, it's fine. You know I won't push you. But I want you to know that if you ever want to talk, about anything, anytime, I'm here, ready to listen, okay?"

"I know. Thanks." Steve knew Danny meant every single word. He has always been there for him, saved him more times than he would like, always listened in those rare cases when Steve wanted to talk. A few minutes of quiet followed. They just sat there, next to each other and stared at the horizon.

"We need to find him, Danny. I called the Admiral, I wanted to warn him. According to what Mickey told me, he won't just stop here. He'll go after others, he is not done."

"I know. Kono, Chin, Lou, and Jerry have been working on it for a week. They don't have much though," Danny admitted. Even in this state, his friend was worried more about others than himself. That's how he was trained and that made him a great person. But at that moment Danny was worried about his friend way more than the others guys. It was selfish and he hated that he felt it this way but it was true.

"All right, I want to know everything," said Steve. He wanted to find out what the rest of the team knew. They didn't inform him as much as he would like for this past week.

"Steve, the doctor said…"

"I don't care, Danny. I need to do this," he interrupted his friend.

"Okay. Get some sleep today, all right? And tomorrow morning we will go to the headquarters and join the team. But you promise me you'll take it easy, all right? No crazy car chases, no getting shot, no jumping from the roof, no sharks, you get the picture," said Danny, knowing his stubborn friend won't just sit still and do nothing. He wouldn't leave it either if he was in Steve's shoes.

Steve just nodded slightly, not lifting his sight from the horizon. Danny wanted to get Mickey as much as Steve. He almost killed his friend and he might not be done just yet.

"We will get him, buddy. I Promise."

* * *

"Look who is back! Welcome back, brah," said Chin when Steve and Danny walked into the headquarters. He approached Steve and pulled him into a hug.

"Hey, thanks."

"It's good you're back." Jerry hugged him next, squeezed him a little more than he realized.

"Easy, easy. Don't break him, Jerry," warned him Danny.

"Sorry."

Kono smiled and approached Steve and tugged him into a gentle hug.

"Welcome home, boss. We missed you."

"Hey man, it was about time you showed up," said Lou as he patted Steve's shoulder.

"Yeah. Thanks, guys. Wanna fill me in?" asked Steve.

"You sure you're okay with this?" asked Chin.

"I'm sure. I'm fine, go ahead," said Steve.

Chin knew Steve well enough to know he won't sit around when there is anything he can do, even if he is supposed to stay at home for a while and relax. He couldn't blame him for coming in though. Michael Rogers made it personal to him and he knew that Steve won't be happy until that guy is either in jail or dead. Everybody in the room knew that.

"Okay. As far as we know, Rogers must have gotten away just shortly after he was arrested. He probably used the time of our absence to escape. It's still a mystery how he did it but as someone cut off the security cameras before it happened, we thought it might be someone from inside. And it turned out we were right. Meet Kahele Akuini." Chin swiped a picture of a police officer to the screen.

"This is our guy. He is new in the unit, he joined only a month ago. Look at his bank account. He received $25 000 from a private organization just one day before Rogers disappeared and then $25 000 again two days later. We tracked down the organization, it's a bookstore. Well, at least they want people to believe it. We think they used it as a cover-up for dirty money laundering."

"So it looks like he got paid half before and a half after the job is done," said Steve. "Someone familiar connected to this bookstore?"

"We searched Roger's house and it turned up he had several fake passports. And one of the names matches with the list of employees," summed up Chin.

"Wait a minute." Danny interrupted him. "Why would he send our guy any money before we arrested him? Did he know that we will get him?"

"He might have known. Maybe that was a part of the plan," said Steve.

"But why would he do that?" asked Kono.

"Yeah, I don't get it either," added Jerry.

"He was playing some kind of game. He just wanted to slow us down, keep questioning him as long as possible. From the moment we arrested him he seemed way too chill, he knew someone's coming for him. He even told me he won't stay for long," said Danny.

"Well, that must have been a hell of a painful part of the plan then." Lou grinned, Kono and Jerry looked at each other and grinned too.

"Uh… Am I missing something?" asked Steve. "What's so funny?"

"Let's just say Danny made it pretty clear that he didn't like his game," explained Lou with a smile on his face.

Steve looked at Danny with his arms crossed and smiled. Of course, he knew his partner would do anything to find him.

"I… Uh… I was too busy for games so I tried to speed it up. It seems like I might have spent too much with you," said Danny, pointing his head at Steve. "You know, shoot first, ask questions later kind of style."

"McGarrett style," grinned Jerry.

Steve looked into his partner's eyes. He knew Danny would do anything to protect the ones he loved. Even if it meant to violate the rules. He saw Danny shoot a man who killed his brother. He saw him shoot a man who kidnapped his daughter to find out where she was. And this time he tried to protect another member of his family. And he was thankful for that.

"So did Akuini say anything?" he asked.

"Yes, we managed to get the confession out of him. But he swore he has no idea where to find Rogers as he never contacted him first," answered Kono.

"What else do we know?" asked Steve.

"Nothing. But we checked for all the fake names he uses but he didn't book any flights or another form of travel," said Lou.

"So you're telling me he is still on the island," said Steve.

Just a quiet and Jerry's slight nod was the answer. A wave of heat flooded him as he remembered what Mickey said to him. About following them, about the phones. He knew about everything they spoke about. That's why he was always one step ahead. He should have remembered that sooner. Danny noticed Steve's breathing speeded up and that his hands were now curled in fists.

"Steve?"

"We need to get out of here," said Steve.

"What are you talking about? Why?"

"It's not secure here."


	19. What's The Matter With You?

_**Hi! How do you like the story so far? I'm really enjoying writing it. Let me know what you think :)**_

_**Here is a shorter chapter because I wanted to end it this way. I promise the next one will be longer!**_

_**Thanks for reading**_

* * *

Steve stormed out of the headquarters with Danny and the rest of the team behind his back. They can't stay there, they need another place to talk.

"Steve? Steve! Stop. Where are you going? What's going on?" asked Danny as he ran out of the building, following Steve.

"We can't talk in there anymore. I just remembered what Mickey told me back there. That he's been watching us for some time and that he copied the SIM cards of all of us," explained Steve. He could feel his heart is racing again and he was a little bit dizzy.

"Which means he can hear every single word we said in the HQ or on the phone." Kono shook her head. Now it all made sense. Steve nodded.

"That's why we can't get him. He's always one step ahead, playing his game," said Chin.

Steve started to breathe faster again, trying to control it but he couldn't. His breath was shallow and rapid. Danny noticed something is wrong, he approached his friend and made eye contact with him.

"It's all right, buddy. It's all right. Just breathe. In and out. In and out," he said. "That's it. You good?"

Steve took a couple of breaths before his breathing slowed down again and he nodded to Danny's question. He noticed everybody's concerned looks but he ignored it. He took another few breaths to calm down before he continued.

"We need to use prepaid phones and we can't speak about anything case-related in the HQ."

"Okay, so now he knows that we know, right?" asked Danny.

"Not necessarily, he can just think Steve panicked and ran off when he found out Mickey is still around," explained Kono.

"Right."

"Guys, I don't think he hacked the system," Jerry joined the conversation. "I'll have a look to confirm that but I'm pretty sure of that."

"If he's got just the listening devices over there we can just find them and get rid of them," said Chin, looking for a solution.

"No, let him think we don't know about that. He wants to play? Fine, let's play." Steve frowned, he was angry. He refused to play by Mickey's rules. He wanted to take him down asap. If they manage to pretend that they didn't find the listening devices, they can keep talking. But they only say what they want him to hear, so they can try to lure him out.

"Okay. So how do we find him?" asked Lou.

"I have an idea," said Steve.

"Any other ideas?" asked Danny, looking around at the rest of the team members. "Anybody?"

"You don't even know what my idea is yet," protested Steve.

"You're right, I don't. But judging by your look I'm sure it will be a stupid idea and it might involve a trip to the hospital, possibly worse."

Steve gave Danny a _'shut up, Danno'_ look but didn't say anything. He knew Danny was right on this one but it was their best chance.

"If we can't find him, we let him come to us. We lure him out."

Danny laughed at that one. All the eyes were on him.

"So I was right. Will you tell us how exactly would you like to do that?"

In the second when Steve looked into Danny's eyes, Danny knew what his friend's idea was. He wanted to use himself as bait, let Rogers come after him and hope they take him down first. He already saw enough stupid things his partner did to know. Just one eye-to-eye look said it all.

"No. No. No way. Forget it, okay? I won't let you draw a target on your back."

"Danny…"

"Are you completely whacked out of your mind?" he asked. "What's the matter with you?"

"You got a better idea?"

"I don't. But this is the stupidest idea ever!" protested Danny.

"That's what I thought."

"I'm with Danny on this one," said Kono but Steve ignored her.

"Listen to me, Steve. HEAR ME OUT!" yelled Danny.

"Why are you yelling at me?" asked Steve.

"I'M NOT YELLING AT YOU!"

"Yes, you are."

"Yesterday you promised there won't be any stupid ideas when you get back to work today," said Danny, trying to remind his friend of yesterday's conversation about taking things easy. This didn't look like taking it easy at all. What if it goes wrong?

"I didn't promise anything," protested Steve.

"Yes, you did. That move you did with your head? It was a nod, okay? I told you no stupid ideas and you nodded. In a normal world, it means you agreed on something."

"Danny…"

"No. We will find another way." Danny refused to back off on this opinion. He won't risk Steve's life. There must be a better way, there always is, they always find one.

"I'll be fine," said Steve.

"No. No. You've said that before. Or did you already forget what happened when you two met last time?" Danny regretted that question immediately when he saw the look in his partner's eyes. He realized it was way over the line, at least for now.

Steve's look changed to angry. A short flashback of that day came back to him. The hit to the head from the back. The needle in his neck. The inability to move when he woke up. The endless beating. Another needle in his neck. The inability to breathe. The inability to stop it. The pain. The anger. The fear. All of it came back in a fraction of second and he could feel the pain in the chest growing up as the memories flooded his brain.

"No, Danny. I didn't. IT'S RIGHT HERE!" he yelled as he pointed to his head. "All of it… And it's pretty vivid. But we need to stop him, okay?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Danny closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "He could've killed you!"

"Do you think I don't know that?"

"You like this, huh? It makes you happy if you can risk so much, right? Because you're completely insane," said Danny.

"I'm insane? Do you really think I'm enjoying this?" Steve raised his voice again.

"You tell me."

"Okay, Danny, will you please stop talking? We're doing this."

"No, Steven. YOU are doing this." Danny poked his index finger to Steve's chest. He knew how much Steve hated that but at that moment he didn't care.

"I'm not gonna watch you getting killed. I'm out," he said, turned around and walked away. He didn't want to be around when this stupid idea goes south. He lost years of his life just in the past week thanks to being worried as hell about his best friend who just doesn't hesitate to risk his life right after he gets released from the hospital. And he refused to watch that in case it happens again.

"Danny!" shouted Chin but Danny didn't even turn around. The atmosphere was so thick that one could slice through it and no one else dared to speak.

Steve frowned. He didn't expect Danny to walk away just like that. They usually didn't share the same opinion about pretty much everything and they bickered every day but Danny never left like this. He didn't want him to leave, but he was too proud to call him back. And he didn't plan to change his mind either. He watched him sit behind the wheel of the Camaro and drive away.

"Come on man, he's just worried." Lou tried to explain Danny's behavior but it wasn't necessary. Steve knew his friend was worried. He was angry at him for taking risks. But if that meant they get a chance to take that son of a bitch Rogers down, then be it. Steve watched Danny's car until it disappeared behind the corner.

"Let's go. We need a plan."


	20. I Will Find You And I Will Kill You

Danny stopped the car on the side of the road and got out to breathe some fresh air. Steve always tells him he overreacts. Maybe he shouldn't have left. But after all, they've been through since Steve disappeared he thought that Steve might actually think before he does something crazy. At least until he feels better. Steve always had these stupid risky ideas and Danny hated them because it often meant a trip to the hospital. He shouldn't have left. He swore to be there for that stubborn idiot and he left instead. The guilt filled his gut. He sighed, picked up the phone and he was about to call Steve when he remembered he shouldn't use his phone to ask him where he is. He tried to think of a place where the team would go if they feel like they can't speak at the headquarters and the only place which came to his mind was Kamekona's truck. He hoped to find them there as he drove away.

He could see Steve's truck in the car park, he was right. He got out of the car and looked at the group of his friends over the table and his eyes met with Steve's. Steve stood up and walked toward

Danny, so they can speak in private.

"Hey," said Danny first.

"I overreacted a little, all right? But unlike you, I can admit if I make a mistake. So I'm sorry, I was just worried about you and now I'm concerned."

You overreacted. But…" Steve looked around, looking for the courage to say it. "You were also right."

"See? No one ever listens to me…" Danny ranted, as he was ready for Steve to say something to make Danny a bad guy again but he stopped when he realized what he just heard.

"Wait, what? Did you just say I was right?" he asked, surprised.

"I did," nodded Steve.

"All right. That must be a concussion talking. I'm calling a doctor right now," said Danny, reaching into his pocket to represent taking his cell phone out.

"Danny. Stop it, okay?"

Danny looked at Steve who had guilt written all over his face. But it was more than guilt. He could see the pain in his eyes despite SEAL trying to hide it.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I know you are just concerned for my well-being," said Steve.

"I'm right and you're sorry? Wow. I'm definitely calling the doctor." Danny couldn't believe his ears.

"Danny."

"All right, all right. Your apology is accepted. Does it mean you're not going to make yourself a bait?" asked Danny, hoping his friend came to senses meanwhile.

"It doesn't. But…,"

"Why do I even bother?" interrupted him, Danny. What did he even think? It was Steve. He was his best friend but boy he was such a stubborn pain in the ass.

"Danny, let me finish."

"Please," said Danny, allowing Steve to continue.

"We will make it look like I'm going after him, alone. But I considered your opinion and concluded I'm not in great shape just yet, so I might have a disadvantage if it doesn't go as planned."

"A disadvantage? I know you're a super SEAL but I don't think you would last a minute right now. No offense," said Danny.

"Thanks for the encouragement, partner. But yeah… Uh… That's why we only make him believe it, lure him out, we will wait for him, take him down, you book him, done," explained Steve.

"What if he will realize you're not really there?" Danny knew Mickey won't be that easy to fool. He didn't really think he would show up. Not unless he can see Steve alone.

"Then we lose him. But we'll find a way, all right?" said Steve.

"All right."

"Come on buddy, let's sit and talk about the details before we go back to the HQ." Steve wrapped his arm around Danny's shoulders as they walked to the rest of the team.

* * *

**_LATER THAT DAY - BACK IN THE HQ_**

The team tried to pretend like they don't know they're being watched, they tried to keep it seem real. They looked for cues, talked and carefully considered every word they said. As they stood around the smart table, almost ready to wrap it up for the day, Steve's phone rang.

"McGarrett," he answered, professionally as always. It was one of the police officers from HPD.

"Commander we just received a call from an eye witness. He said he saw where Michael Rogers is but refuses to speak to anyone but you directly," he said.

"That's fine, just transfer it to my office," said Steve as he turned around and headed to his office quickly.

"Okay."

He said to the chair and waited a couple of seconds before the phone rang.

"McGarrett."

"Commander McGarrett." Steve froze as soon as he heard the voice. It wasn't any witness, it was Mickey himself. He clenched his fist immediately and looked to his team members through the glass walls of his office.

"Just a little warning. Stay where you are right now, don't move and don't even think of catching your team's attention. Look left, you see the picture of the ship?" said Mickey with a calm, clear voice.

Steve looked to the picture and examined it better without a word. It took him a few seconds before he noticed a small dot hidden in the corner of the frame. So that son of a bitch had cameras there as well. Steve frowned.

"Good. So now, when I have your attention, someone would like to talk to you," said Mickey.

In a second Steve stiffened and a sudden wave of cold ran across his body as he heard the familiar voice.

"Steve? Steve, what's going on? Who is this man? Help me, please!"

He stood up promptly in surprise and anger and he could feel his heart rate speeding up significantly.

"Mary? Mary!" he shouted. Kono heard this sudden noise and noticed Steve shouting on the phone, he looked angry, ready to explode.

"I will find you and I will kill you, Mickey. I swear," he said.

"Did you really think that I'll buy this little charade of your team? You guys trying to confuse me? I know what you're doing Steve, we have the same training, remember? It's not that easy to fool me," said Mickey snidely.

"Listen to me. If something happens to my sister, you're gonna regret that you ever met me you son of a bitch." Steve's legs suddenly felt weaker and the stabbing pain in his chest kept growing up. He slid back to the chair in desperation, rested his elbows on the desk and rubbed his mouth while thinking about his next step to get his sister back.

"What happens to her is up to you. I don't see a reason to hurt her as long as you do as I say," said Mickey.

"What do you want?"

"1092 Makepono St warehouse in fifteen minutes. Come alone and unarmed, make sure you turn the GPS of your car off and leave the phone in the office. You bring your team or anyone else and your little sister is dead, is that clear? I'll see you there. Hurry up," said Mickey and hung up.

Steve checked the time on his watch and jumped out of the chair. He headed straight to Danny's office, passing Kono, Chin, and Jerry without the word. They all looked at him in surprise as he stormed out of his office, obviously angry, and headed to Danny.

"Are you okay, boss?" asked Kono. Steve looked over his shoulder and nodded,

"I'm fine."

He closed the door behind him as he entered Danny's office and saw his friend studying some folders related to the case.

"Danny, you mind if I borrow your car for a while?"

"Sure, where are you going?" asked Danny as he lifted his sight.

"It's uh… It's Mary. I need to go and meet her, need to get there fast and your car is faster."

"Oh, is she okay?" Danny's voice was concerned.

"Yeah, I just… I gotta go, I'll explain it later," said Steve and took the car keys from Danny's desk.

"Hey, what's that look again?" asked Danny.

"Don't have any."

"That's a lie. Steven. You see, you've got this look when you're about to do something stupid. So please, do me a favor and at least tell me what it is so I can try and explain how stupid that idea is and then you just ignore my opinion as always."

"Danny, I gotta go. Stay here, please. I'll call you as soon as I can."

"Yeah, you'll call me. I've heard that one before. Then we found you half-dead under the ground." Danny hated to remind his friend of this again but he had this _'I have a stupid idea'_ look on his face again.

"This time I'm saying that because I have a choice. See? There is no gun at my head. So calm down," answered Steve.

"Hey, wait a second." Danny tried to stopped Steve for an explanation but he was already at the door.

"I don't have time for this, Danny. I'll be right back. Love you, buddy."


	21. Stay With Me, Buddy

_So here it is. Finally, the chapter explaining what happened in the first chapter :) It's all been leading to this point._

_And once again, I'm sorry if you spot grammar mistakes. _

_This chapter is also way longer than the rest of the chapters and my favorite one. Let me know if whether you enjoyed reading it._

_**THIS CHAPTER IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY**. More chapters coming, but it's coming close to the end._

* * *

Danny stormed out of his office right after Steve and headed to the rest of the team who surrounded the smart table.

"What was that about? Where is he going?" asked Chin.

Danny didn't answer that and he started to shout the orders while everybody else looked at him in confusion.

"Kono, can you please call Mary and find out if she is all right? Ask if she is meeting Steve. I don't like this, I think something is going on here."

"Sure, I'm on it," she answered.

"Good. Jerry, I need you to track the GPS in my car, watch its every move and keep me informed."

"Danny, what's going on?" asked Lou with concern in his voice.

"I'm not sure but Steve acted weird, I'm not leaving him out of my sight. Are you guys in?"

"Hell, we are," assured him Lou.

"Good, let's go then. Jerry, you stay here and don't lose him, okay?"

"I'll do my best," answered Jerry.

"I just finished the call with Mary," said Kono. "You were right, she has no idea what Steve talked about. She is not even in Hawaii, Danny."

"Damn it. It must be Mickey, he wanted to lure Steve out so he used Mary for that," said Danny.

"He'll just fall right into the trap," added Chin.

Danny, Lou, Chin, and Kono ran downstairs, got into Kono's Chevrolet Cruze and they drove off with Danny behind the wheel, following Steve. They kept the distance, knowing Steve would easily spot them and relied on Jerry's instructions until they heard Jerry's voice in the earphone.

"Guys we have a problem. I'm sorry but I've just lost the signal at the corner of Sandi Island Access Rd and Auiki St."

"He must have turned off the GPS," said Kono and started to look for Danny's car in the traffic in front of them.

"Damn! We're just two blocks from there," said Lou.

Danny pushed the pedal to the floor, he knew they have to hurry to catch up on Steve who had a head start.

"I can't see him, Danny," said Chin with a hint of fear in his voice.

"He must be close!" said Kono.

"Guys," they could hear Jerry again. "I've got something. Don't ask me how but I kind of got access to the satellite maps. I checked the area nearby and found the car. A black Camaro parked in front of a small warehouse which is currently for rent. He parked in there about two minutes ago, and according to your current position, you're just four minutes from there. Sending you the address."

"Thanks, Jerry. I'll make it three."

* * *

When Steve arrived to the location Mickey was already there, waiting beside the old entrance door with a SIG Sauer P226 pistol in his hand, smiling ear to ear.

"Good to see you again, Commander."

"Where is she?"

Mickey opened the door and indicated Steve to enter. Steve hesitated for a while, looked at him and then walked inside. The room he entered was almost empty. He looked around to scout the surroundings which he was used to doing all the time so he can use it later to his advantage. He didn't see any sign of his sister. He turned around as Mickey locked the door behind him and looked him into the eyes.

"Where is she?" he asked again.

"I must admit, I didn't expect to see you again, Steve. But never mind, we can pick up where we finished."

"WHERE IS MARY?" yelled Steve, curling his hands into fists as anger grew up in him. He wanted to grab Mickey under the neck and beat the crap out of him but not yet. Not as long as he has his sister.

"Not here. She's safe, as long as you do what I tell you," said Mickey.

"What do you want?"

"Isn't that obvious? We've got some unfinished business, Steve."

"If you want to kill me, fine, do it. But Mary has nothing to do with this," said Steve.

"It's okay, Steve. If I stick to my schedule and show up where I'm supposed to show up on time, my friend will release her," said Mickey.

"But if you try something, or if something happens to me, she's dead. Call it insurance. If I die, she dies too."

Steve could feel the chill coming through his body. He remembered this feeling. It was like seven years ago when his father called him during the transport of the prisoner. The same prisoner who Steve and Freddie captured not long before that.

_"You should get that. You don't speak to your father nearly enough," said Anton Hesse._

_Steve looked at him in surprise and answered the phone._

_"Hey, Champ."_

_"Dad."_

_"Who are these people, Steve?"_

"Are we clear?" Mickey's voice interrupted him from the thought.

Steve sighed and nodded slightly. His brain was working on full power, trying to figure out a way out of this. A way to save Mary. Mickey's smart, that's why he didn't bring her with him. He needed leverage. He knew that even if he managed to take him down, Mickey would never tell him where she is, they were both trained not to speak.

"Good, now turn around and put your hands behind the back," said Mickey and pointed the gun in Steve's face.

Steve stood still for a couple of seconds, thinking about his options and the risks. There was too much in the stake. He turned around and put his hands behind the back as Mickey said. Mickey noticed the healing marks of restraints on Steve's wrists and made sure to tighten the zip ties as much as possible as he tied them.

"I hope it hurts," he said.

"Move over there and turn around." Mickey pointed to the other side of the room, away from the door, while holding the gun at Steve's head.

Steve did as told, he walked toward the wall and turned around. The restraints on his wrists caused the recent feelings and memories flooding back, one by one. He tried to push them all out as much as he could. He can't afford to panic right now.

"And now on your knees." Mickey didn't stop aiming at Steve.

Steve looked at him, ready to resist him while buying himself time to come up with a plan. He stood still for a second with the defiant look in his eyes.

"Mickey…"

A loud noise of a gunshot and sudden pain in his left thigh made him stop talking and drop to the ground. He groaned in pain.

"I said, on your knees, right? I don't like to repeat myself," said Mickey while Steve struggled to lift himself up and kneel while trying to remain calm.

"Oh and for this one, you can thank your partner. You should teach him some manners," added Mickey. Steve guessed that it had something to do with Danny's interrogation.

Both of them turned their heads. They could hear the incoming vehicle and screeching of tires as it stopped outside. Mickey pressed the gun's muzzle to Steve's left temple.

"I told you what will happen if you bring your colleagues, didn't I?"

"I didn't tell anyone okay? They must have followed me."

"Never mind, we'll deal with this," said Mickey.

"Remember, one stupid move and you are dead, then your sister will follow," he reminded Steve.

Mickey crouched down behind Steve and firmly wrapped his arm around Steve's neck while keeping the muzzle of his pistol at Steve's head and lifted him up to the feet again to use him as a shield in case some of those idiots will decide to shoot. He watched the door closely. Steve thought about using this time to fight Mickey and try to get his gun but with his hands behind back, a shot wound in the leg, inability to breathe properly and not enough strength just yet his options against a SEAL were pretty limited. As he jerked his body slightly, Mickey just tightened the grip around his neck even more, so he could barely breathe. He hated how weak he felt, but Danny was right, today he wouldn't last a minute against this guy.

"Five-0, drop your weapons!" Lou shouted as the door kicked opened and Danny entered the room with the rest of the team right behind his back. All of them aimed their guns at Mickey.

Mickey tightened his grip on Steve's neck and pressed the muzzle of his pistol into his head.

"Take another step and he dies."

"It's over. Put your weapon down, Rogers!"

"Not gonna happen," said Mickey.

Meanwhile, Danny froze and gasped in a terror when he saw Steve, tied up and bleeding, with the gun at his head.

"Steve? Are you all right, buddy?"

"I'm fine." None of them lowered the guns.

"I want you to throw your guns on the floor, now. All of you," ordered Mickey.

No one moved an inch.

"Do it or he is gonna die and he won't be the only one," he repeated.

Danny looked at his friend, the concern in his face was obvious. Their eyes met and Steve nodded, confirming to do as Mickey said.

"Okay, easy, man," said Lou, lowered the gun and threw it on the floor.

Kono and Chin followed him but Danny refused to move. His gun still aimed at Mickey. He wouldn't shoot though. If he missed, Mickey would pull the trigger. If he hits Mickey, he could still pull the trigger if he bullet didn't hit the right spot. Or he would risk shooting Steve himself.

"You too, detective Williams," said Mickey.

Danny took a deep breath, sighed and threw his gun to the floor in defeat while looking for Steve's eyes.

"Good, now back off. Walk away slowly, get outside and close the door behind you. If you try to come back in, your friend is a dead man, do you understand?"

"We do, take it easy, man," said Lou, looking at his boss for reaffirmation that it's what he wants. He noticed a slight nod from Steve. They slowly backed off, except Danny again. He stood still, with hatred in the eyes, not ready to play by Mickey's rules when his best friend was in danger. This was exactly the kind of situation he wanted to avoid earlier today.

"I'm not going anywhere until you let him go!" Danny's eyes were fixed to Mickey, he didn't even blink.

"Danny, go," said Steve.

"I can put a bullet in his head, right now, detective," threatened Mickey as he pressed the gun deeper into Steve's head.

"Danny, come on," said Chin but he didn't move.

"Danny, go! Now!" yelled Steve. He didn't want Danny to get hurt because of him or Mary to die because they didn't do what Mickey said. But Danny stood still.

"Danny, please, get out of here!"

"Forget it."

"Come on. Get out, buddy!"

"I'm not going anywhere without you."

"Okay. That's enough. Williams! You wanna stay? Okay then, stay. The rest of you, out. Now!" shouted Mickey, obviously tired of arguing with Danny.

Steve closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't want Danny to be in danger, but he refused to leave. As Lou, Kono, and Chin left, Danny walked a few steps closer.

"Now… Get on your knees, next to McGarrett. Move!"

Danny looked at Steve again, he looked like he's been bleeding for a while so they need to figure out how to get him out of here as soon as possible. He walked where Mickey said so and knelt down beside Steve as Mickey pushed Steve back to the ground on his knees.

"Good, take this and tie your wrists together," said Mickey as he threw a zip tie to Danny.

"You should have left, Danny," whispered Steve while Danny did as told without a word. He won't leave Steve again.

"That's so nice of you that you won't leave him behind, Williams. Maybe McGarrett should take an example from you," said Mickey.

Danny turned to his friend and noticed his breathing is all around the place. He saw how much he struggled to keep calm. Him, always calm under any circumstances, a trained super SEAL, struggled to keep calm. He must have been a real mess inside.

"Steve? Steve. It's okay. Breathe, buddy."

"I didn't leave! I didn't leave him…," whispered Steve.

"Tell that to your friend. Oh, right, I forgot… You can't because he is dead, isn't he?" said Mickey.

Steve squinted his eyes, the feeling of not being able to breathe started to kick in again. Danny looked at him with fear in his eyes. This wasn't his Steve. He hated Mickey. Like it wasn't enough what he did to Steve's body. Now he used words to push him off the cliff. He remembered what the doctor said when they left the hospital. Steve can't let the panic attack come in, he needs to breathe slowly to allow his lungs to heal properly.

"Steve, don't let him get under your skin, all right? Breathe, I'm right here."

"You know, I've done my homework on you. That was not the only time you led someone to execution, McGarrett, am I right?" Mickey ignored Danny's attempts to calm Steve down and continued grilling him. Quiet was the answer as Steve fought his memories. Mickey stepped toward Danny and held a gun at his forehead.

"I asked you, am I right?"

"You are," whispered Steve. A gun at Danny's head didn't help him to calm down.

"I didn't quite hear your answer."

"You're right! Okay?… YOU'RE RIGHT," he yelled and gasped for air. The painful memories of his times with SEALs flooded him again.

"How sweet, last time we met I couldn't get this sentence out of you no matter what I did. It seems like having detective Williams around makes you a better person," said Mickey and removed the gun from Danny's forehead.

"Steve, breathe!" said Danny softly. He didn't know what Mickey was talking about but it was obviously something Steve didn't want to talk about, he didn't want to remember.

"I'm sorry, did I hit a sore spot? Good, " said Mickey mockingly.

Steve took a deep breath. Danny's soothing voice was the only thing that helped him to keep it together. His blood felt like boiling in his veins.

"I'm gonna kill you, Mickey!"

"Don't forget. If you try something, your sister will die, is that clear?" reminded Mickey.

"Steve, he doesn't have Mary," said Danny.

He knew that he risks pissing off Mickey even more but he needed to tell his friend the truth so he knows it's just Mickey's sick way to prevent Steve from fighting. And he needed him to fight right now more than ever.

"She's been safe on the Mainland all this time, Kono talked to her just after you left."

"Detective, you wanna play it this way?" Mickey's big smile disappeared as he found out that they know. It was good leverage and now it was gone.

"As you wish," he said as he aimed his gun at Danny and fired a bullet through his shoulder.

"Danny! Danny!" shouted Steve. He tried to stand up and check on his friend who groaned in pain as the blood soaked his white shirt, slowly oozing outward.

"Mm-mm." Mickey shook his head, holding the pistol in front of him.

"You Stay down, Steve. Or I shoot you both straight away. Oh, detective Williams, the next one will be to the heart so think twice before you say something again."

"Danny, buddy… you're all right?" asked Steve, looking at his friend in a panic.

"I'll be fine," said Danny after he looked at the wound. It hurt like hell but as long as they get the hell out of here soon, it's not a big deal. He was worried about Steve's leg more. He's been bleeding for a while now. They needed to do something.

After Steve quickly scanned Danny's condition he turned to Mickey in confusion. Danny wouldn't lie about Mary, so how was it possible?

"I've heard her voice on the phone," he said. He wished he knew sooner so he could try and take down Mickey before he managed to get another hostage.

"Well, it's interesting what modern technology and one smart nerd can do nowadays," answered Mickey.

So he never had Mary, he faked it somehow. And Steve let that bastard to fool him. He looked at Danny to check on him.

"Mickey, he'll bleed out. Don't do it, just let him go," he said.

"He had a chance to leave," said Mickey as he shook his head.

"Besides, he is the one who shot me twice and then left me to bleed out in that dark cell if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, too bad it didn't work out." Steve wished Danny would shut up and stop annoying Mickey with his snarky comments.

"Hey, it's between me and you," said Steve to Mickey.

"If you're gonna kill me, do it. But let him go."

"Shut up, Steven," said Danny.

"No. I've got a better idea," said Mickey and aimed his pistol at Danny again.

"I'm just gonna shoot him right in front of you. So you know how it feels. I'd like to see your face when he bleeds out."

"Mickey, calm down. Please. Jake wouldn't want you to do this," said Steve, trying to hide the panic in his voice. He was too scared for his friend.

"Don't you dare to speak about what he would want. He wanted to see his kids again but never had a chance!" yelled Mickey.

"Who the hell is Jake?" asked Danny.

"Long story buddy, not the right time."

Steve couldn't even blink. He always claims how he isn't scared of anything. But there was one thing he was scared of. Losing the people he loved, Danny is one of them. He couldn't afford to lose any more family.

"Well there won't be any next time, so I'll sum it up for you, detective Williams. I watched my best friend die because of men like McGarrett. And now he'll watch you die before I finish him off," said Mickey and leveled the pistol at Danny's chest.

Steve's heart was pounding like crazy. He knew it was now or never. His hands were tied up but there was no time to think about that. He won't let Mickey kill his best friend. And he was definitely not going down without the fight, especially when he knew that Mary is safe. He looked to the back of the room behind Mickey several times when he was sure that Mickey can see him, and he nodded slightly, suggesting there is someone behind Mickey trying to take him down. It wasn't. But Mickey turned his head to the side, just for a fraction of second to check it out. That's exactly what Steve wanted him to do. He jumped up immediately and kicked the gun out of Mickey's hands. Danny jumped up right away, ready to help Steve, he ran toward Mickey's pistol on the floor while Steve tried to slow him down. Mickey's left hook landed on Steve's face and he dropped to the ground. As Steve fell to the floor, Danny reached for the gun but he was too slow. A strong kick to his ribs came from the side and sent him back to the floor. Mickey reached down for the gun, picked it up while both, Steve and Danny were trying to stand up and aimed it to Danny again, ready to shoot.

"Danny!"

Steve finally managed to stand up and ran toward Danny. He threw himself between the gun and his best friend at the exact same moment as Mickey pulled the trigger with a resonating bang. He drew his brows together, opened his mouth but didn't make a sound as he turned his blank gaze to Danny. He frowned in a surprise of the sudden weakness.

"Steve? Steve!"

Danny stood up and without hesitation he sprinted toward Steve as he noticed blood soaking trough the t-shirt on his chest. Steve swayed just for a moment before Danny caught him and lowered him to the ground. The bloody stain on Steve's t-shirt was growing bigger every second. He quickly placed both of his hands on Steve's wound firmly and heard a painful groan from Steve. When he lifted his sight from his friend, Mickey was gone.

"Come on buddy, stay with me. Hey, stay with me, Steve!"

Steve could barely keep the eyes opened, his vision blurred out and his body felt heavier every second. Every breath was harder to take in as the time passed. The world around him was slowly fading out but he could recognize the fear in Danny's eyes. The fear of losing his brother.

"Steve, don't close your eyes. You hear me? Open your eyes!"

Danny heard someone rushing inside. It was Lou, whose face filled with shock as he saw Steve laying in a big puddle of blood and Danny's bloody hands pressed to his chest. He knelt down beside them and cut Steve's hands free so they can lay him down flat, then he helped Danny with the zip ties on his wrists while he kept pressing Steve's wound.

"Ambulance is on its way, they should be here in about two minutes," he said.

Danny knew that every second counted. His best friend was dying in his arms, slowly fading away. His eyes burned as he tried not to let the tears run down his cheek. His friend might not have two minutes. Even Steve knew it's bad. He has been wounded many times to know it was serious this time. He knew what would happen and felt sorry to put his best friend, his brother through this pain.

"Steve, come on. Stay with me!"

Steve's eyelids became heavier and he struggled to keep his eyes opened. He blinked several times. Danny's voice was fading slowly.

"Open your eyes, Steve!"

That loud, familiar voice forced him to open his eyes again, trying to focus on Danny's face. He used the rest of his remaining strength to put his hand on top of Danny's hand.

"Da-nny,… I…" he whispered, barely breathing.

"I know, buddy, I know. I love you too. You tell me later, all right? You tell me later, just keep your eyes opened."

Steve's eyes closed again and his hand slid down beside him slowly.

"No, no, no! Steve. Buddy, stay with me! Open the eyes!"

The quiet was a response. Danny pressed his fingers covered in blood at Steve's carotid artery in fear he might not find the pulse. He wasn't dead yet. But he was dying. Danny was determined to fight till the end. As long as his friend's heart is beating, he won't give up on him.

Danny couldn't fight it anymore. Tears stained his cheeks, making his eyes glassy as he watched Steve's still body. Just when he finally thought his best friend might be all right, this is what happens. His best friend in the whole world took a bullet for him. He remembered the day they met like it was yesterday. Their guns aimed at each other in Steve's father's house. But over the years their relationship grew from disliking each other to friendship stronger than any other he experienced in his life. Always being there for each other when they needed it the most. They became brothers. Seeing him lying motionless in a puddle of crimson red blood broke his heart. The loud sound of sirens echoed the building, the ambulance was finally there.

"Listen to me. Don't you dare to die! Open your eyes, Steve! Come on. Please. Open your eyes…"

Lou directed two paramedics to Steve and they rushed to him.

"Sir, you need to step aside. Please."

Danny reluctantly stood up when the paramedics got to Steve and looked down at the blood on his hands and rubbed them at his shirt. He didn't leave his sight from the paramedics trying to save his friend's life.

Lou pointed on Danny's shirt, stained in blood.

"Danny, is that your blood?"

"It's nothing."

"Nothing? It doesn't look like nothing to me. Danny, you're bleeding."

Danny shook his head. He forgot about the pain in his shoulder when he saw Steve fighting for life. The paramedics were ready to move Steve to the ambulance. He closely followed behind as they took him to the ambulance. His emotions were all over the place. The fear, the sadness, the anger. He brushed his fingers through his blonde hair.

"Where is he? And where are Kono and Chin?"

"We heard shooting and shortly after that Chin noticed movement in the side exit. They went after him when I came inside," explained Lou.

So Mickey got away. Again. That's what he was saying. The sudden dizziness swallowed him as he stood there, watching the paramedics loading Steve to the ambulance. One of the men turned around and looked at Danny's wound.

"Detective, we need to have a look at you too."

"No, I'm fine, it's just a scratch. Let's go now, I'm going with you."

Just a scratch. That's something Steve would say too. All he cared about was his friend's life at that moment. The adrenaline rushed through his veins so he didn't even feel the pain anyway.

"Danny, you need to get yourself checked, it doesn't look good," said Lou.

"Not until I know Steve's okay."

His legs started to weaken all of a sudden when he stepped forward and forced him to sway. Heat flooded his body and the world around him swirled before his vision faded and he fell in a heap to the floor.

"Danny? Danny!"

He didn't realize how much blood he has lost. Or maybe it was a shock, fear, or combination of all. Laying on his back he could barely recognize the fuzzy shapes of people around rushing to him slowly fading until all became black.


	22. I Can't Believe You're Gone

**_This story is coming to the end slowly, there will be probably 2 more chapters._**

**_Thanks for reading!_**

* * *

He slowly opened his eyes and the white light above him blinded him for a second. He felt weak and sleepy. His blurry vision refocused just enough to recognize the shapes of a hospital room. The sharp pain in the shoulder struck him as he tried to sit down. He looked around again and remembered why he was there. Steve! His eyes widened immediately and he got up, ignoring the pain. The door opened and a nurse entered the room. He looked at her, still confused and scared for his friend.

"Detective Williams, what are you doing?"

"Where is Steve? How is he?"

"Detective, please calm down. You've lost quite a lot of blood. You will be okay but you need to rest. Return back to the bed please."

His anxiety was growing up. Why wouldn't she answer? He needed to know how is his best friend.

"That's not an answer. Where is Steven McGarrett? Huh? Where is he? Is he all right?"

"I will call the doctor, okay? He can answer your questions," she said and left the room leaving Danny alone with his thoughts for a minute before the doctor entered the room.

"Detective Williams? The nurse said you are asking for Commander McGarrett."

"Yeah. How is he? Tell me!"

"He lost a lot of blood by the time he got to the hospital. The bullet didn't hit the vital organs but it was still inside of his chest. He had to go to the surgery immediately to get it removed. Detective Williams, we did everything we could but… he didn't make it. I'm sorry."

He didn't make it. Those words felt like he was just stabbed to the heart. At that moment the world around him collapsed and emptiness numbed his mind. It didn't feel real.

"No. No. No! He can't be dead!"

"Detective Williams…"

"Uh… Where is he? I… I want to see him," he interrupted him.

"I'm afraid that's not possible."

"What do you mean it's not possible? I want to see him!" yelled Danny.

"Detective, please. You need to understand…"

"No. No. No."

"I'm really sorry about your loss."

Danny was on the verge of hyperventilation. He was shaking and waves of emotions seized him. He slid to the empty chair next to the bed and dipped his face into his hands and rested his elbows on his legs. He fought the emotions but it was way too much to bear. His glassy eyes looked down to the tilted floor and he allowed tears to flow.

* * *

Danny couldn't bear the thought of just sitting in the corner of his home. Steve was gone and the man who killed him was still out there. He needed to find him before he can hurt someone else. Steve would want him to find that son of a bitch. But he didn't want to arrest him. He wanted him dead this time. And he vowed to do everything to make that happen. That's why a cold leather sofa in Steve's office became Danny's bed since the doctor told him Steve is gone. He refused to rest until he finds Mickey.

He didn't know what to do to keep it together. In situations like this Steve was always there for him to reassure him that he is not alone. He was the one who helped him to get through everything. He was his anchor. But he wasn't here now. He won't be here anymore. He couldn't believe it.

_We did everything we could but… he didn't make it. I'm sorry._ Those words were in his head ever since. He couldn't focus on pretty much anything else. Danny spent hours and hours looking through everything they had on Mickey until he couldn't focus anymore. He laid down on the couch to rest. He was exhausted yet he couldn't fall asleep. He felt guilty, sad, lost, angry. He didn't want to believe his partner is gone for real. He startled as he heard voices from outside of the office and then gentle knock on the office door. The door opened and Danny forced himself to sit down. It was Kono who entered, she had a worried look on the face and her eyes looked tired. She probably hasn't slept much either.

"I figured we would find you here."

"I, uh… I need to find him."

Kono sat down next to him and hugged him gently as she shed a tear.

"I know. Boss would like us to find him."

Danny didn't say anything, he couldn't find words. He expected to be alone so he doesn't have to look for the words at all. Kono interrupted the silence after a while.

"We were worried, you didn't pick up the phone."

"Sorry. I just wasn't in the mood to talk."

Kono understood well. But they were all ohana. And they couldn't leave Danny to deal with this alone after what happened. They needed each other. She knew how much Steve meant for him and couldn't imagine how much he must suffer right now. She just rested her head on his shoulder and sat there quietly to show the support for her friend. She lost track of the time after a while. Danny was the next one to break the silence.

"It's my fault, you know?"

She lifted her head in surprise. Why would he blame himself?

"Danny, that's not true. You're not the one who pulled the trigger."

"But that bullet was meant for me," he said as tears rushed into his eyes again.

"You would have done the same for Steve. And you wouldn't want him to blame himself for that if that was the case."

Of course, he knew he would do the same for Steve if their roles were reversed. But they weren't. Steve is gone and he is here, left to fight.

"I should have left with the rest of you guys. That way he wouldn't feel the need to protect me."

"Hey. You know it wouldn't help, right? He would do it anyway. You at least gave him a chance to survive," said Kono softly while holding her hand on Danny's back.

"Right. But it wasn't enough."

There was nothing anyone could say to make him feel better. There was only one thing he wanted besides Steve coming back. To put a bullet through Mickey's head.

"It's not your fault Danny, you've been there for him till the end. There is nothing more you could do."

Maybe she was right. But he couldn't stop thinking about what if he had a plan instead of just rushing into the building. What if he was faster and got the gun off the floor first? What if he wouldn't leave Mickey alive after he kidnapped Steve. What if he shot him in the head instead of the leg?

"I've brought some malasadas," said Kono.

"Not hungry."

"Danny, we all feel the same. But if you starve to death it won't bring him back."

"I know."

She sighed and stood up. Danny needed time. More time than the rest of them. She missed Steve too, he was more than just her boss. He came into her life just at the right time and gave her more than a job. He gave her ohana. And he was always there for her.

"Okay. I'll be over there with others," she pointed to the smart table where the rest of the team was talking. They all looked sad and tired.

"We will go through everything again and we're going to do whatever it takes to get Mickey. You join us whenever you feel like it, all right?"

Danny looked into the floor as Kono closed the door. He just wished Steve was there to help them. To make them feel better as he always did. He wiped his tears, took a deep breath and headed to the rest of the team.

He didn't Know if Kono told them to not talk to him about Steve's death just yet, or they just knew he isn't ready to talk yet, but they didn't ask anything. They didn't force him to eat, go get rest or any other crap. They knew there would be no point. He was thankful for that. The unspoken sadness was notable though, they all missed a friend. But they had to find the man who did this and they were determined to do whatever it takes to do that. It's been long hours since they started to go through all the evidence and tried to find new leads until late at night. He had to be on the island. Every single cop on the island was looking for him, his picture was everywhere and they monitored every possible way of leaving the island. When Danny went through all the security records they had available, Chin knocked on the door of his office.

"Hey, brah. It's almost midnight and tomorrow will be a difficult day. Maybe we should get some rest, what do you say?

Tomorrow. Steve's funeral. He almost forgot.

"Uh, yeah. You go, I'll stay a little longer."

"Danny, promise me you'll go home, eat something and clean yourself up. You'll feel better."

Danny didn't want to go anywhere but he knew he should. He didn't take a shower for days and his stomach was growling from hunger. He can't show up there like this.

"I will. I need to get my suit anyway."

"Good. If you need something, anything, just call me and I'll come over right away, okay?"

He nodded. He knew Chin wouldn't mind coming over in the middle of the night to comfort his friend.

"Try to get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow."

He knew he wouldn't sleep. How could he? Shortly after they left, he went home too. After he got out of a long, thoughtful shower, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to sleep, he didn't want to sit in the quiet house and do nothing. He needed to do something, to think about something, to focus on something, to take his mind off the picture of Steve in that puddle of blood with a blood soaking through his t-shirt. He grabbed his black suit and headed back to the headquarters.


	23. The Funeral

**_I hope you enjoy reading this story. _**

**_The next chapter will be the final one :)_**

* * *

Danny still couldn't believe it. Steve was gone. Gone forever and there was nothing he could do about it. His tired eyes reflected his pain, the anger growing inside him, the sadness and confusion. Was it a nightmare? If so, it's about time to wake up now and end this suffering. He can't be gone for real. He stood there, all suited up with arms rested on the smart table. He was so exhausted. The last time he slept was the night Steve was released from the hospital a few days ago. His eyes hurt from endless looking at the screen, desperately trying to find Mickey. He lifted his head and looked at the door, hoping that maybe Steve walks through that door with his big, annoying smile as nothing happened. But he didn't.

Lost in the thoughts he felt a gentle touch on his right shoulder. It was Kono.

"Its time, Danny," she said.

The black dress she was wearing reminded him that it was real. It was not a nightmare as he hoped for. Her eyes were glossy and red. She was obviously crying recently. Even her fake hint of a smile couldn't hide it.

Danny didn't move, he didn't even blink. He was staring at the screen full of photos from the warehouse where it all happened. Steve's blood covered the big part of the dirty floor. The photo of Michael Rogers was shining in the top right corner. Anger flooded him again as he looked at him. He swore to find him and make him pay for what he has done and put a bullet through his head. He clenched his hands into the fists and he wanted to smash something. Anything. He sighed heavily, closed his eyes and immediately saw the whole scene again like he was still there. Just like every time he closed his eyes. Living it over and over again.

It all came back. Lou kicking the door out. Adrenaline rushing through his body as Danny was the first one to enter, ready to shoot anyone crossing his path. But Mickey knew they were coming, he heard them rushing inside the building. Danny remembered how his eyes met with the eyes of his friend, the relief he was still alive was short-lived, replaced by the anger and fear. His best friend was hurt, his hands were tied up behind his back and he had a gun at his head. Their eyes met, Danny could see the pain and panic in his eyes. He remembered Steve kneeling beside him, bleeding and fighting his own thoughts. He remembered how his best friend tried to distract Mickey so he wouldn't shoot Danny. A short fight which only took a couple of seconds before he was looking into Mickey's gun again. He remembered Steve jumping between him and the gun and the sound of the bullet fired at the same time. The look on his face when he turned around. The blood pooling from his chest. The only thing he barely managed to say while bleeding out. His name. _"Da-nny…"_ It was the only word he could remember from that evening. He heard his voice echoing in his head ever since. It sounded scared, no matter how much Steve tried to hide it. Not the fear of death, it was a different kind of fear. Fear about the person who he cared about. He wanted to tell Danny that he loves him because he knew how bad his wound was. Everything else was blurry and distant, it felt so unreal.

"Danny?" said Kono softly, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Let's go."

Danny didn't turn his face away from the screen. He was quiet for another minute. When he spoke, his voice was a choked whisper.

"I should have done something, it's my fault."

"No, don't blame yourself, Danny. You've done everything you could. We will find that bastard."

Danny closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He wasn't ready for the funeral of his brother.

"I… I, can't."

He could notice how shaky his voice was.

"I don't think I can do this. I want to get him, I can't afford to lose any time. You go, I'll go over the security records again. See if we missed something."

Kono looked at Danny. She didn't know what to say, nothing would make it better right now. The last time she saw him this upset was when he found out that his brother Matt was dead. She decided to try a different approach.

"Danny, we need you there. Grace needs you there."

He lifted his head when he heard his daughter's name.

"Come on, we'll go over all this again later. We will find him. I promise," said Kono.

Danny took a deep breath, he knew she was right. His ohana needs him as much as he needs them.

He nodded slightly and straightened his black tie.

"Let's go."

They walked down the stairs without a word, looking into the ground. When Kono stopped suddenly in front of him, it got his attention and he lifted his sight to see what she sees. He froze when he saw it. He expected it, but it still surprised him. Caught him off-guard. A beautiful white rose was lying on his black Camaro's hood.

"That son of a bitch!"

He drew the gun and looked around, desperately trying to catch the glimpse of Mickey. That bastard must be still close, finishing up his job. Danny knew he was mocking him. A white rose gifted to the closest person of his victim was his way to finish the job.

* * *

"Danny?"

He lifted his sight when he heard his name. It was a blonde woman, dressed in black. She was holding the hand of a little girl. Danny stepped toward her and wrapped her into a tight hug.

"I'm so sorry, Mary."

He looked down at little Joan, who looked so innocent. She didn't see her uncle Steve often and she was too young to be fully aware of what's happening around her or why everyone else is sad. Mary looked behind her shoulder, where other people were waiting already.

"I think we should go. The service is about to start," she said.

He looked at the group of people who gathered about a couple of chairs and saw Rachel with Grace are already there. He didn't feel like he can handle it today but his daughter loved Steve and she needed him beside her. He took a deep breath and walked toward her. He rested his arm on her shoulders and pulled her closer to him as he kissed the top of her head. His eyes quickly scanned the place. The whole ohana was there. Chin, Kono, Lou, Jerry, and Max stood up right next to him. The team who stuck together no matter what. Adam, who has been released from prison recently. Kamekona and Flippa stood out from the crowd. He noticed young Nahele who was almost like Steve's younger brother since he saved him from life on the street. Danny recognized some friends of Steve's from his navy times. Joe White stood in the back. But the only family members who showed up were Mary with Joan. Danny was angry about Steve's mother. He kind of hoped that she would show up at least for her son's funeral. And Catherine. She didn't bother showing up, not that it was the first time. He wondered if she knows.

The world around Danny seemed so distant, like his soul was somewhere else. Six sailors dressed in their dress uniforms passed beside them. They carried the casket covered by the United States flag and carefully lowered it on the platform in front of the group of Steve's family and friends. They lifted the flag above the casket, straightened it and held it without any movement. Seven men of the rifle party drew their rifles in the distance and aimed them in a direction over the casket. Danny startled as the first one out of three volley salutes was fired in the perfect unison, bringing him back from his thoughts. After the third volley salute was fired, the lone bugler started to play Taps and all the men and women in the uniform saluted. Danny laid his right hand over his heart, just like all of the civilians. The sad tones of the bugle sounded in his ears for a minute. One long minute in which memories of the days spent with Steve flooded Danny's head.

It was a beautiful ceremony. At least until the bugler stopped playing. Just when the sailors holding the flag were about to fold it, the sounds of groans and panting breaths interrupted the silence and forced Danny to look to its source. Two men, one civilian covering his face with a hood and one member of the rifle party were fighting in the distance. Danny shook his head. Why on Earth can't they say farewell in peace? Like Steve's life was not full of action, he needed some excitement during the funeral too. The fight between those two became louder and noticed by everybody else. Danny exchanged looks with the rest of the team and gave them a silent signal to move over there and stop those two idiots from ruining everything. He didn't understand why a man from the rifle party would fight anyone. Every move of those men was supposed to be planned and synchronized. Joe joined Danny and the team as they rushed toward the men rolling over on the ground and trying to take out each other. Danny reached for his pistol as he got closer. By the time he approached them, the civilian pushed the other guy's face down to the grass and reached to his pocket. Danny could instantly recognize a shiny object which he took out of the pocket.

"He's got a knife!" he yelled and aimed his gun at him while Kono, Lou, Chin, and Joe surrounded the men and aimed their guns at them.

"Freeze! Drop your weapon!"

The man kneeling on the other guy's back froze and after a few seconds, he put the knife down but didn't let the other man go.

"Show me your hands. Stand up and slowly turn around. Both of you, now!" ordered Danny.

The man on the top reluctantly let go of the other man, stood up with hands above his head and slowly turned around to face Danny, while the man in the uniform rolled over to his back and gasped for air.

His heart skipped a beat when he finally got a look at the men's faces. His eyes widened and he opened his mouth.

"You!"

Mickey was standing right in front of him with a few nasty cuts and bruises on his face. Lou was the first one who reacted to the situation and cuffed Mickey's hands behind his back while Danny still aimed his pistol at him. He stood there in a shock, unable to move, but not because the man whose head he wanted was right in front of him. He was shocked because he recognized the other man's face as soon as he rolled over to his back.

"Thanks, Danno."

"Steve?"

No one dared to say a word, they just stood there in a surprise, trying to suck the new information in. Danny couldn't believe it. It was really him. So all this was fake? He was sure that his friend is right in front of him. Steve didn't look great but he was definitely alive. Steve picked himself up from the ground and smiled. Danny stood there for another few seconds before he walked forward to approach his friend. Unexpectedly, his fist shot into Steve's face, sending him back to the ground without a word. The crowd around them yelped. Steve looked up at Danny with a surprise in his eyes and a small stream of blood was dripping off his mouth. He wiped his mouth before he spoke again.

"I guess I deserved that one."

Danny clenched his jaw and his nostrils flared.

"Are you completely out of your mind you idiot?" he yelled. "Do you even have and idea what have you done you moron?"

"It's good to see you too, buddy," answered Steve.

"No, no, no. Don't make me the bad guy here, Steven. You animal just let all your family and friends believe you're dead and then you show up just minutes before everyone is ready to say farewell!"

"I know. I'm sorry, Danny."

"Oh, you're sorry. Don't apologize to me, apologize to all these people," he said, pointing at the crowd of people around them.

"I will apologize, okay? But I had no choice. And it worked."

Danny brushed his fingers through his mouth. The mix of emotions flooded him but one of those emotions was over the roof. The blood in his veins was boiling from anger he felt. Anger that Steve put them through this hell, that he lied to them, especially to him.

"No choice? You know what? I'm done," he said. Then he turned his back to the rest of the group and walked away.

"Danny! Come on!"

Steve knew calling him back won't change his mind. He was angry and he had a good reason for that. As he watched Danny to walk away he noticed a blonde woman approaching him.

"Mary? Mary, I'm so sorry. I had to do that."

Her eyes were full of tears as she threw her arms around her brother's neck. But despite being angry about what he did, she was relieved he is alive. The tears of sadness changed into tears of joy.

"I thought I lost you. I thought that it's only me and Joan now," she cried.

"I know. I know, I'm sorry, okay? I'm here now." He squeezed her tighter, trying to comfort her and reassure her.

Mary pulled away and wiped her tears. She looked into Steve's eyes.

"Steve, I think you owe everyone at least an apology and explanation."

"I know."

Steve looked around at the faces of his confused friends. He had guilt written all over his face. His heavy sigh interrupted the silence. He closed his eyes for a second and took a deep breath before he spoke to the crowd.

* * *

**_I did some research about the military funerals but in case I got anything wrong, I'm sorry :) My only resources were Google and Youtube, plus I'm not American._**


	24. Get It Off Your Chest

It's been two days since Danny walked away after he found out Steve was alive. Two days of ignoring his calls and messages. It's usually Danny who tries to fill the gap and force Steve to talk but this time he kept avoiding him. Steve stood in front of the door of Danny's house and knocked the third time already. Just when he was ready to give it up for the day and leave, the door opened. But it was not Danny who opened, it was Grace.

"Uncle Steve!" she threw herself at Steve and hugged him. He jerked slightly as her head hit his chest and pain passed through it.

"Is Danno inside?" he asked.

"He said not to open the door to you. But I don't think it's what he really wants."

"You think I can talk to him?"

"Please. He is really grumpy, I hope you can fix it," she said as she let him in. "I'll be in the room. Love you, uncle Steve."

"Love you too, Gracie."

He walked into the living room where he found Danny sitting on the couch and pretending to watch television.

"Hey," he said as he entered the room.

"Hey."

"Danny, I understand why you're angry. You've got every right to be angry, but…"

"No. No but, Steven. You faked your death, all right? That's not what normal people do," Danny interrupted him.

"Is that some kind of McGarrett's family tradition?"

"Do you really wanna compare my mother who has been gone for twenty years and this?" asked Steve.

"Yes, you idiot. Because it doesn't matter it's been only a couple of days. We thought you're gone. You have no idea how hard it was to tell Grace."

"But Grace seems fine. Look, Danny, I'm really sorry. Just hear me out. Please."

Danny stood up and looked at Steve. The guilt was written all over his face but that doesn't excuse him. He had two days to think about the whole situation and he was really glad Steve is alive but he couldn't get past the fact that he let them believe he was dead.

"I know you always have some stupid ideas but this one was the stupidest of them all. What the hell did you even think?" ranted Danny. "How did you even pull it off? You were dying in my arms!"

"If you calm down, I'll tell you everything, all right?"

Danny slid back down to the couch with a sigh, waiting for the explanation of his friend's actions. Steve wasn't sure where to start.

"That day, when Mickey…" He closed his eyes with that thought. He didn't get over it yet and he didn't want to talk about it but he owed it to Danny. "Before he buried me, he said: _'See you at your funeral.'_"

Danny looked at his friend. He could see it's not easy for him to talk about it. He never wants to talk about anything bad that happened to him.

"So I thought that might be a chance to get him," continued Steve.

"But he shot you. How did you know you were gonna make it?" asked Danny. But he knew the answer right away, just by the look at Steve's face.

"I didn't," he answered. "It was planned before that happened. After you found me, I knew he won't let it go. That he will try to get me again. So I contacted Joe, in case Mickey finds me before we could find him. And he did, right?"

"I should have known Joe has something to do with that," said Danny, shaking his head. "But why the hell didn't you ask me for help? You know I would do anything I can. We would find a way."

"Danny I thought the funeral is the best shot unless we got to Mickey first. Anyway, there were two possible outcomes. If Mickey succeeded, you would be there to get him when he shows up. And if he failed and I survived, that's where Joe would come to the scene to make him believe I died so we can take him down," explained Steve.

"You should have told me, or asked someone to tell me it's not real." Danny raised his voice again. Steve wanted Mickey to believe he is dead, fine. But why everyone else?

"I'm sorry Danny, I couldn't do that. It has to look real. You know he was watching us and it wasn't safe to let anyone know."

Danny's blood boiled again. "It had to look real?" he yelled. "Do you realize it also felt real, Steven? You out of all should know how it feels to lose someone so close!" He regretted that sentence immediately after he said that.

"I know. Danny, I…" Steve was looking for words. He knew very well how it felt to lose someone. He lost way too many people in his life in the last few years. He couldn't blame Danny for being mad. "I don't know what else to say. I'm really sorry that I hurt you. I mean it."

Steve sat next to Danny and they were both quiet for about a minute, thinking about what happened. Until Danny interrupted the silence.

"If I wasn't so happy you're alive I'd probably kill you, you animal."

Steve smiled. "I'll take that as apology accepted."

"And I won't come to your next funeral, just so we're clear," said Danny.

"Fair enough."

"When you were in the hospital, the doctor told me you didn't make it through the surgery," said Danny softly. Those words have been echoing in his skull since then.

"The bullet didn't hit any vital organs. However, they had to take it out of my chest so I needed the surgery. It went well and as soon as I woke up, Joe was there and told me he arranged everything."

Danny sunk his face into his hands and sighed. Steve was alive. Hurt but alive, that's what mattered the most. He just couldn't believe everything they've been through in the past two weeks since Mickey showed up in their lives. He was glad it was over.

"Okay. Uh… How do you feel?" he asked.

"Well, to be honest, I'm tired and sore. The breathing doesn't hurt so much anymore but that bullet left some bruised ribs so I can still feel that. But I'll be fine. We've got that son of a bitch behind the bars so I'm okay."

"Really, Steve? You want to play it this way again?" Danny looked him into the eyes. "You know exactly what I meant. Are you all right? Look, I can't possibly imagine what you've been through. But you know I'll always be there for you, right? Even if you crazy idiot piss me off like this." He knew Steve for long enough to see that he is broken inside. Even if he kept saying he is fine.

Steve took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. He would lie if he said he was all right.

"Danny, there are some things from my past I've been keeping inside and…" he stopped and closed his eyes for a second. Danny rested his hand on Steve's shoulder, reassuring him he's there for him. He knew his soul brother needed to talk to someone he could trust, but he didn't want to push him to do so.

"You already know about my best friend, Freddie."

Danny knew that Steve and Freddie were like brothers and that he died during their secret mission. He also knew that Steve blamed himself for his death. He nodded and let Steve continue.

"I watched him die because I chose him to go there with me. He sacrificed himself so I can finish the job and get out of there alive. And I did, but… I had to leave him there and I'll never forget that moment."

Danny heard about this before. He was there when Steve finally managed to bring Freddie's body back home. He was there to support him at Freddie's funeral. It was one of the very few times he saw Steve crying.

"But that's not all. What Mickey said back there… He was right," continued Steve. "About that not being the only time I screwed up. There was this operation that went wrong almost a year before Freddie died. The objective was to breach the enemy compound and save the hostage. We knew that one of our high-value target was supposed to be there but it was not the right time to take him down without killing the hostage."

Danny listened carefully. He knew it had to be hard to talk about it and was surprised that Steve's telling him all this as he was aware of this information being classified. That was the first time Steve talked about anything like this.

"We secured the hostage and we were ready to exfil but then one of us discovered the tunnel which we thought our target used to escape. We had a chance to get him for the first time in years. We just needed a few more minutes. There was this young kid, David. He was pretty new in the team but he was smart, really good at his job. He really wanted to succeed, to find that man when we had a chance and others agreed. I've let him talk me into it. So I decided to send three men to get the hostage out and the rest of us went after the target."

Now Danny could feel it's not something with a good ending, otherwise, Steve wouldn't be so broken because of it. He kept listening without a word.

"We were right, it was the escape tunnel. But the man we were after got away. However, we found one of his men. He stood there with a bomb on his chest and his thumb on the trigger. I was ready to shoot when he triggered it. The explosion killed two SEALs immediately, the rest of us were injured. As we tried to recover they had time to send more people our way, we were outnumbered and not in good shape. We tried to fight but we got captured and…"

Steve took a break as he got to the most painful part of that day. He knew he could trust Danny, but it was hard to get it off his chest.

"After about two days of trying to make us talk, no one said anything. They found out I led the operation. And as none of us wanted to speak, they decided to give me some motivation as they called it. They brought all the remaining men from my team and shot them one by one right in front of me. I watched them all die, but I couldn't say a word. But that wasn't enough, they wanted answers and they were determined to get them. I've been tortured for days, hoping for death in the end. But it never came."

Danny was now fully aware of what hell has Steve been through. He couldn't imagine how anyone would overcome something like that.

"Joe came for me eventually. When I saw his face, I hoped it's over. I was ready to let go. But then I woke up and I was pretty much alive. And I had to face the fact, that I was the only one who survived. I had to live with the choices I've made. I should have just stuck with the plan and get them the hell out of there. And I've been trying to put it behind me ever since but… I can't. And what happened in the last two weeks… It just reminded me…" he stopped again and sighed heavily."

The guilt and pain in Steve's eyes made Danny feel guilty for ignoring him for the last two days. He was angry at Steve because he made him feel terrible when he thought he lost him. But he didn't consider the feelings of his best friend. He was supposed to be there for him this entire time.

"You said, David and the others wanted you to try and get the target, right? You guys would probably save a lot of lives if you caught him."

"It doesn't matter what they wanted. I was the one who made the call. And failed."

"Hey, you listen to me. I know you. I'm sure you did what you thought it's the best, all right? You can't change what happened back there but don't blame yourself, babe." Danny's anger was gone by now. He was glad Steve shared this untold story with him.

"Steve, buddy. You're the toughest man I know and I'm here for you. I'll always be. I'll help you overcome it, all right? If you need to talk, I'll be here. If you don't ever want to talk about it again, I won't ask, deal?"

"Okay," answered Steve quietly. "Aren't you hungry? I can order some pizza."

The sudden change of topic suggested that he had enough of emotional talking for now. And Danny understood that.

"I'm starving. Just make sure there is no pineapple on it," he grinned.

"Danno?"

"What is it?"

"Thank you. For saving my life. And for being you."

"You're welcome," said Danny as a smile stretched on his face. He had his best friend back. He wrapped his arms around Steve and pulled him into a hug. "I missed you, babe."

"Of course you did. I love you, buddy."

"Love you too."

* * *

_**THE END**_

* * *

_**So, what do you think about this last chapter? What about the whole story? Let me know.**_


End file.
